All's Fair in Love and Riddles
by Shellyluvstoread
Summary: What happens when the Riddler see's something...or someone he likes!
1. Independence

_**This chapter is dedicated to Taylor! (I don't own Batman)**_

"And so you shall go out into the world, changing each other's lives…"

This speech was killing more brain cells than the Law Enforcement Academy had filled. Easily. All four years, down the tube in one fell swoop. I checked my watch and sighed in defeat. This graduation thing that we had been leading up to since we hit preschool was turning out to be taking about that much time to be done with. After about ten long minutes…

"Congratulations…class of 2011!"

A great shout rose from the crowd as hundreds of caps were thrown in the air. I myself let out a very un lady-like shriek and jet out of my uncomfortable metal seat faster than you could say pure genius. No living family to tow me down, no friends to hold me back! I could go, go, and go until I finally found someplace where I wasn't considered a know-it-all…even if I did.

"Beth! Oh Beth!"

Oh crap.

"It's been such a good few years! Promise we'll stay in touch!" Stacy, the school creeper, flung herself at me, tears and all.

"Stacy…you've hated me since year three…"

"Oh silly! We all want to start anew! Don't you? Hey, that rhymed!"

I could have sworn my eye twitched. Then the airhead saw something shiny on one of her followers and ran off towards the people who would now get a job at McDonald's, go work at Best Buy and stay in the same zip code all their life.

Hell if I could help it.

I ran out the blessed auditorium doors before even more fake friends could try apologizing to me and went straight to my car. I was the first person out of there and not regrettably too. They might have their social life but I had something better. A brain.

First order of business; pack and get the hell out of Dodge, needless to say I did exactly that.

I went ten above the speed limit to my apartment where my belongings were already thrown in suitcases and ready to go. I had packed the night before in hopes of avoiding the rush of graduates ditching this town and was making good time so far.

Taking one look at the tiny room I had tried to inhabit for the last few years, I slung my bags over my shoulder (as there weren't that many to begin with) and started out the front door, leaving my keys in my mailbox.

"Do pack some snacks so you won't get hungry dear?"

"Thanks Ms. Dingleberry!" I snatched the snack bars the elderly landlady offered to me and kissed her on the cheek. She had been like my second mother, and was the only person I was going to actually miss in this hellhole I had called home since I could remember.

I waved back and shot her my most charming smile before switching on the air conditioning and radio full blast. I slammed my blue Toyota hunk of crap into full gear and left skid marks for five feet until I turned a corner and was gone, shooting like a gun with a granola bar sticking out of my mouth.

I reached Gotham City the next week.


	2. Been to Hell

How to describe Gotham City…big, noisy, filled with crime, absolutely perfect in every aspect!

I cruised down the streets in the coming dawn, simply sightseeing the place I had wanted to move to since I had first enrolled in the Academy. I had driven right through the night and by this time all the businesses and shops would be getting ready to open, but right now I needed an apartment.

I checked my wallet to see what was left in my savings after a full night of buying Slim Jim's. I had about two hundred left so…I needed to find a job fast plus a cheap apartment for the time being.

I drove about for another half an hour or so until I looked at the clock and my hair didn't stand on end at the time. Eight thirty was good enough that I didn't wake people up.

I drove down to around where I thought the cheaper apartments would be. Another description would be the dingy side of the city but at the time I figured what the hell. Even if I could catch AIDS from some of the bed sheets they put on these beds.

I parked my car outside what looked to be a cleaner place out of the rest and strutted to the front desk.

The woman on the other side looked like she could break me in half with her pinky if she wanted to, and she was asleep. This was just great.

I cleared my throat gently, in hopes of not startling her into causing an explosion. Her eyes popped open when she heard the noise and glared at me.

"You looking for a room?" she grunted, sounding a bit like a pig in my opinion.

I nodded and tried to make myself look friendly, because if I didn't look friendly…she might bite a chunk out of the desk and spit it at me.

"Here" She tossed a slightly rusty key at me, "room twenty three's open and its one fifty a month." I went out to get my bags and patted myself on the back for getting an apartment in the first five minutes, without saying a single word. I locked my car and left the money of the already sleeping woman's desk.

I crept up to the second floor and counted down. My room was pretty close to the stairs and only now did I realize that I hadn't even requested to see the room first before agreeing to take it, not a very good idea if I said so myself.

Upon opening the door, I coughed and made a mental note to get some Febreeze with what was left of my money. After groceries of course.

I toted all two of my bags into the small space and (after putting my own sheets on it) flopped onto the bed going to sleep immediately.

When I woke up I had the most terrible crick in my neck a bit of drool on my pillow. I turned my bleary eyes on the digital clock to see that in was one in the afternoon, not too late to get started on my dream job. Private eye here I come!

I think the first thing was to get an office…and with the small amount of cash, a part time job. With my training at the Police Academy this wasn't going to be hard to find, at least I hoped so.

I dragged myself off the mattress; slid into what I thought looked like a professional looking suit of navy blue and dragged a brush through the chicken nest I called my hair. On the way out a quick look at the front desk sign revealed that miss muscles had gone to the gym and would be back at six. Figured.

My car was still where I left it (thank god) and had a few profanities scribbled in the dust coating the rear end to my annoyance. I quickly wiped them out and started the ignition.

While I was driving even further downtown I contemplated where to apply. I had heard the police force was pretty crappy and boring, letting Batman do all the work apparently. Where else was an Academy graduate supposed to work? The answer came out of nowhere. Arkham asylum. Of course, that had to be the place most of the excitement went down in this town. I drove out past the police station and headed out to the outskirts of Gotham instead.

It was on the edge of town but just enough that there weren't any inhabitants near it. In the distance I saw what looked to be a dreary mansion, probably of some rich playboy I had read about in the tiny society section that my old town newspaper had.

My car slowly rolled up to the massive security gates as if sensing my feeling of foreboding.

The intercom crackled to life as a guard said;

"Can I help you?"

He sounded friendly enough, I decided.

"I'm here to apply for a job." There was silence on the other end before finally,

"Come on up." The gates swung inward and I started up the massive drive towards the haunted looking silhouette of the asylum. It looked right out of a cheap fifty's sci-fi movie without the thunder and lightning.

When entering the parking lot outside the front entrance to the high security building I made sure the doors were locked and the windows were up, again. You could never be too careful when it came to places like this.

A guard was outside a door marked front office when I strolled into the massive building and waved me in after I showed him my credentials. A bored looking receptionist was waiting for me.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked in a monotone.

"I'm here for a…position?" she blinked slowly at me before slapping a giant stack of papers in my arms.

"Fill these out and give them back in to me when you're done."

I stumped over to the line of hard plastic chairs lined up against the wall and sighed. This was going to take a while.

After an hour of signing away everything but my old teddy bear I handed the paperwork back to her. She looked through them and nodded.

"You just graduate?" everything she did was slow, even the way she talked. It was putting me back to sleep.

"I just got out yesterday." I muttered.

"Right." She scribbled my name on a file and proceeded to slip the papers into the manila colored flaps. "We only have full time positions open at the time, would you still like to apply?"

I needed money bad and we couldn't all start off just like that so…

"Sure." I shrugged.

The secretary gave me a look as if to say 'Your funeral" but it went away as fast as it had appeared. She simply handed me some more forms in response, these a little less lengthy than the others. On the top they said "Guard Position" I guessed I was going to be a guard then.

It only took me half an hour to get through these and when finished, slammed them on her desk, getting fed up after getting five hand cramps in the last hour. My credentials should be enough to buy the place for god's sake!

She hardly glanced at these before stuffing them in my file and disappearing into a backroom for fifteen minutes. She came back out with a security outfit and a pass. She handed these to me and said,

"Your shift starts tomorrow at ten and ends at eight, have a nice day."

Well that sounded pretty final so I did a one eighty and sped out. Something about the place gave me chills. I had better get over that if I was going to be working there full time. At least there was going to be some money involved, so I didn't have to worry about finding a job. Then I realized something.

A place usually took a few days to look over all the applications, were they that hard up for guards that they would hire someone on the spot? Oh well, I tried not to think about it and headed to the grocery to pick up a few items.

This Wal Mart was so much bigger than the one I had gone to for the past twenty three years. And there weren't any bored teenagers hanging about outside, looking for something to do! I shook my head and smirked at the way I was talking, the big city must have been getting to me already.

When I walked in the doors, I yanked a shopping cart out of the mass that was near the entrance, picking up a smiley face sticker that was offered to me in the action (because smiley face stickers are badass).

I went around tossing this and that into the cart, picking up a few whistles on the way to which I muttered imbeciles quickly to. Imbeciles or idiot were much more cutting words to me than bastard or dick for some reason.

'Ah well,' I thought to myself, 'they can't all be geniuses such as me'. I grabbed up some febreeze and headed to the checkout lane. I was just passing the woman's section of moomoos when the store went pitch black.

I ducked into a clothes rack instinctively as a voice laced with arrogance rang out of the loudspeakers.

"Riddle me this everyone! What is it that gets wetter when it dries?"

Crapcrapcrapcrap. My first day in Gotham and already I had been in a run in with a criminal. What was his name! It was on the tip of my tongue but I just couldn't spit it out, I really hated that feeling.

"If any of the ignoramuses in here can answer that, you will all be set free, in the meantime though, you're all hostages."

Really? Really? This was not happening on my first day! The riddle itself was simple, a towel. But how to get the answer to him. I stood up in the middle of my clothes rack and screamed, as loud as I could, "A towel!" no answer. Not even from the other people in the store.

I screamed this out a couple more times before getting irritated. He just wasn't getting the message. The voice came over the speakers, which could easily be manipulated by the phones near the checkout counters. I slipped out of the section and emerged at the front of the store.

I crept to the lane, bent over and snatched a phone off the hook. The speakers immediately switched on in response.

"It's a towel, dumbass!" I screamed into the mouthpiece. The effect was instantaneous. A couple dozen henchpeople snapped their heads to look over at me and I took off running towards my nice safe clothes section, them at my heels already.

I tried to twist and turn through the maze I had lead them into but they overtook me in less than a minute. Arms snatched me and held me fast as they radioed in to their boss.

"We got her" a burly guy barked into his handheld device. He flipped a switch but heard nothing but radio silence. "Boss?" he asked stupidly.

The answering voice sounded pissed, really pissed. "Well let her go." He sounded as if he was clenching his jaw together.

"What?" the henchy asked apparently confused.

"You heard me you imbecile let her go! Let them all go! She-she got it right!" it sounded as if he had thrown his radio on the floor or something because it switched off then.

I got over the shock and gave them a gloating smile. "You heard the boss, let them all go."

The henchys scratched their heads in confusion but allowed all the customers to walk out the door unharmed…and me with free groceries.

On the way back to my hole I couldn't help thinking, 'That was the Riddler I just pissed off.'

_**I don't own anything Batman (or Wal Mart for that matter)**_


	3. Hired

I looked over the new guard's paperwork without any interest at all. She was just going to be murdered some horrible way so why even glance at the fact she had some damn good references. What the hell. I stamped in large red letters on the front, "HIRED" and signed "Amadeus Arkham" below that, giving her the death sentence that so many others had gone through.

Great, we had to deal with him again. Every guard I had sent up there he had hammered through like he was the knife to their warm butter. But a high security prisoner so prone to escaping needed at least one guard, he needed someone that he hadn't tried yet, not so much someone harder core…but maybe a type of person he hadn't tried with him yet. A female…huh. That would be interesting to see come out.

"Absolutely NOT!" Dr. Young slammed her hands down on my desk in a fury. "What are you thinking? She's worked here for less than a week and you're willing to throw her away like an empty coke can! He'll chew her up and spit the remnants out through a tube!"

I rolled my eyes behind my palm covering the top half of my eyes.

"He needs a change of some sort; he'll just continue mangling the minds of the other guards if we continue sending the same type of people. You remember what happened to the last one."

I watched as doctor Young's face grew from fury to pity.

"Are you sure you want to do this to her?"

I sniffed and threw her file on my desk. "I'm quite sure."


	4. Postcard from Paris

Riddle me this…riddle me that…

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, which had mainly been occupied since my first day on the job. There was always something to be done. Sanitizing equipment, sedating the Joker…just normal stuff for an asylum. And it strangely didn't upset me like it would have for a normal citizen.

I was waiting for a light on my way to Arkham. I had been working there for a week or so since I had started last week and it was now a Wednesday. Things seemed to be looking up after the first few days being pretty bad. I was one of the only female guards you see and…the males there were pretty desperate.

There were a slightly limited number of guards at Arkham, I mean there were hundreds, but it was a very large complex of buildings. Almost like a city within itself. A city with little to no women guards. I swear I felt like a piece of meat on the bay days.

My light turned green and I was on my way to yet another day of sexism and kicking ass. But I liked it that way…it never got boring. And if there was one thing I hated…it was being bored.

Walking in the giant gray doors I was met with a bunch of good luck charley's and pats on the back, forcing me into confusion. Working here wasn't that bad! I timed in and went to doctor Arkham's office such as the email I received last night said to do.

My first look in his office screamed 'pompous bastard' and so he was. With all the portraits of family members hanging on the wall and the rich coloring of the furnishings I felt like I was going in to meet the queen of England.

Dr. Arkham walked in then and strode behind his desk.

"Miss Zaney…" he stuck his hand out and gave me calculating look, as if waiting for me to detonate something.

"Dr. Arkham. You wanted to see me?" I gave his hand a firm shake and stood at attention, never breaking eye contact. He seemed impressed or as impressed as a person can look while giving you the default fish eye.

"Yes, I have reviewed your credentials personally and am very pleased with what I see. An Academy girl?"

"Yes sir." I answered. He nodded approvingly and picked up a file that had been sitting on his desk.

"I think you are ready for a high security prisoner, even if you are a bit of a newbie here and despite all of the negative votes on the subject." He stopped speaking here, gauging my reaction (which was hopefully still stony) before going on. "I reviewed your past marks and seeing as they were top notch all the way I believe there won't be any problems. I must tell you not to worry, this is only temporary." He then handed me a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it with the name "Nygma, Edward" printed on the top.

"You start today."

I saluted and headed off towards the high security wing, snickering slightly at the fellow's name. These patients were sick and deranged; most could hardly speak in proper language aside from mutterings so I felt sorry for them. But this guy was in the secure Area where the major loony bins were kept…this should be fun.

Showing my ID to the guard at the door at the intensive treatment center I was glanced at very funnily but shown through without any questions.

"This way miss…"

"Zayne, Bethany Zayne." I followed the brunette doctor through a few chambers of heavily locked doors and as we got nearer, the edgier she became. I was mentally bracing myself for the worst since she seemed to twitch as she looked back at me. Was I guarding Scarecrow? Dear god I hoped not.

My guide stopped suddenly right outside a set of doors.

"Remember, it's only temporary." Was the only thing she said before opening the door and indicating to a cell on the far right at the end of the hall.

I took one last glance at the file and lifted to see some of the information on the guy beforehand.

Patient's name: Edward Nygma aka; "The Riddler"

I normally would have collapsed on the spot but on duty I could only make my mouth twitch in response to the unwelcome sight. He would recognize my voice if I spoke, but fortunately being a guard didn't require speaking. Out of all the patients in Arkham, I had to get him! Just my luck!

Out of curiosity I read a bit more down the list. Six feet two inches, green eyes, browninsh-red hair…well if the guy wasn't a psychopathic murderer he might not be hard looking at.

I pursed my lips and marched over to take my stance next to his cell, trying my best not to look in. After hearing nothing for a few minutes I glanced into the room and lurched backwards when I came not a foot from the Riddler leaning up against the glass that separated us.

My head cracked hard against the wall from the closeness of the corner I was in and stars popped up in front of my eyes. He grinned a sly smile and asked sarcastically,

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

I would have been less creeped out if he had muttered 'I'm going to kill you'. The scary thing about this guy wasn't the I-see-right-through-you face he was giving me, but the way his words came out so normally. He talked as if he was on top of the world and I was an ant about to be crushed.

I shook off the feeling the best I could and returned to my professional stance.

While I could see that he hadn't moved one inch I wanted to edge away and get closer all at the same time. The upset in my head caused me to sway a bit from side to side.

"Dizzy? Do you need something to drink?" every inch of his tone dripped sarcasm. As if he could simply walk out the door and get me a glass of water, it was rather disconcerting.

'Don't speak. Don't speak.' I kept repeating in my head.

"Hm, most of the guards would have at least roughed me up by now. What's got you so quiet?" he asked casually.

Did guards do that? If they did it was a little cruel, I mean he was insane…a least I think he was, the guy sure didn't sound like it.

"Well then perhaps a riddle will start you talking. With pointed fangs it sits and waits-"

That was an old one, everybody knew that one (hopefully) it was a stapler. But I kept my mouth shut.

"Still nothing? Alright then-" he glanced down to my ID tag "Bethany, or is it Beth?"

I opened my mouth and closed it again. I couldn't.

He paused for a few seconds before rattling on,

"I think I'll call you Beth, I always was one for nicknames." God was there a period of time when he _wasn't _using sarcasm.

He sensed my annoyance by the look on my face and his smirk grew wider, apparently enjoying making me squirm.

A small part of my brain that wasn't panicking registered that I had been right; he was good looking and apparently a narcissist because of it. Something about those dimples…

"Inspection! Everybody sound off!"

I stood at attention as the 'yes sirs' came down the line. Eventually it came to me and I reluctantly yelled "Yes sir!" firmly. I winced as a slight growl came from the cell behind me causing my cheeks to heat up like they always did at the most inopportune times. The inspection officer moved on and I stood like a statue, waiting for something to happen.

"Dumbass…huh?" I shivered internally and looked slowly into the room. His voice had changed, not holding playful sarcasm, but a menacing quality as well. I didn't like it one bit.

"Why…dumbass?" he hissed next to the glass.

"Cause…it was a simple riddle." What the hell, he couldn't get through that glass anyway.

"Do need to test you again?" he put special emphasis on the word "test" for some reason. In his cell he was leaning against the wall facing me, apparently trying to stay calm but failing in the process. I could tell because his fists were knotting up in his red hair as if trying to pry something forth from the depth.

"Sure, I'll get them all anyway." Wrong thing to say. He clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes, still in that supposedly relaxed stance he refused to give up even if he looked about ready to slash someone up.

"I know a word with letters three; add to more and fewer there will be."

I thought for a second and answered,

"The word few, that was simple as well."

We kept at this until my lunch break where I trotted away gleefully. I hadn't had this much fun annoying somebody since…ever. I knew I professionally shouldn't be enjoying this so much, but I couldn't stop when I got started.

Every time I answered something right he would sink even deeper into a bad mood. Every answer wrong he would get cocky and brag for ten minutes before asking me another one. I liked it, it kept me from getting bored.


	5. Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better

"What costs eleven million dollars and flies?"

"A solid gold garbage truck"

"How in the- that one didn't even make sense!"

"You've asked that one before"

"I haven't!"

"Prove it!"

This was the scene everyday in the main hall of the intense treatment center. Some part in my brain told me that I was angering a raging psychopath with a fetish for death traps…but the fun of watching him flip out was enough to override it. Not very professional I know but the way he talked didn't seem psychopathic. He seemed a few IQ points from genius but not insanity.

Even though I had been on his watch for less than a week, I felt kind of attached to him. I would no longer stand at attention when I was talking to him and prodded him as if we were old friends. Of course he just thought of me as one of the dunce guards he had gotten assigned to before, but I soon proved him wrong much to his dislike. Since my term was temporary, Friday would be my last day. I didn't want to say I would be sad…but I was going to miss the back and forth between everybody in the hall. Joker's insane ravings and laughter, Scarecrow's mutterings to his partner, Becky Albright. She was nice, I liked her.

There were such intense moments when Eddie (yes we had gotten to first name bases) would ask a personal question like what my favorite soda was, or my favorite childhood memory. It looked like he was genuinely interested when he was staring at me through the glass. I wasn't sure if this was normal or not so I didn't answer. Each time I refused he would only smirk and say

"I'll find out one way or another" he was lying on his cot with the tips of his fingers touching, his usual thinking stance.

"You know that could get you into a lot of trouble if I were to report you, for threats" I answered.

He smirked.

"But you won't" he was right. I wanted him to be taken into solitary confinement as much as I wanted to lose my job.

He stood up and strode to where I was leaning against the glass.

"I have time for one more before my lunch break…" I offered. This seemed to puff him up a bit.

"I am just two and two, I am warm I am cold, I am lawful, unlawful, a duty, a fault, I am often sold dear, good for nothing when bought, an extraordinary boon and a matter of course." This one actually stumped me. Everything that could be a possibility was instantly checked out because of another phrase. Finally after five minutes of mulling I sighed.

"I'll answer this one afterwards, I'll see you later."

He stood up, his green eyes widening to very alarming proportions.

"No! Uh, do you want a hint?" I stopped in my tracks in the act of turning around. He never gave hints, or points for guessing.

"Um…no…" I shuffled away slowly; slightly scared from the look he was giving me.

"You can do this! It's easy!" he pressed his hands against the glass in fury.

"After lunch!" I turned and trotted away. That was out of the ordinary, for him at least. I chanced a look back and saw that he was glaring at me again. I would have thought he would have been gloating by now.

I shook it off quickly, accounting it to his mood swings.

After a very relaxing lunch at that nice Italian place on 19th street, I headed back to Arkham in high spirits, the riddle solved and my stomach full of paninis that could have been made by angels.

The answer to the riddle that had stumped came a bit out of the blue from his usual style; it was a kiss, simple as that was. I headed up the deserted hill and had to swerve to avoid the onslaught of police cars zooming down the opposite way.

"Geezus!" My car skidded to a stop on the side of the road and I could only ogle the cruisers that came one after another at alarming paces. Something had happened at Arkham. That was the only explanation, and of course it had happened during my lunch break.

I waited for the parade to pass, shifted my car to all the gears it had and put the pedal to the medal. I didn't care if I was going sixty on a forty five mph road. I needed to know what had happened!

The answer greeted me in the form of Commissioner Gordon walking out the, front entrance with the doctor who had shown me to Eddie's cell. The doctor saw me get out of the car and gestured in my direction, which Gordon came towards with a grim look on his face.

"Miss-" he looked down at his papers, "Bethany Zyne?"

I stood at attention. "Yes sir?"

"During your break there was a mass breakout, and one of your prisoners escaped."

My head swam as horrible thoughts flooded in. Was I going to lose my job? Who escaped? Was it my fault? Of course it was my fault! Why else would they be talking to me! I was such an idiot sometimes!

"From the look on your face, I can tell you that it's not your fault and won't be blamed. However I have a favor to ask of you."

I snapped back into my stony stature once more. "Anything sir."

He checked his papers again and I noticed that he was holding my file, my already worn out file.

"I see you've gotten a full education of the Academy?" he glanced up at me.

I nodded and waited for him to go on.

"I was surprised to your career choice. Your training suggests a professional detective, yet you are a guard at Arkham. If you would have come to my precinct first we would have offered you a job at the snap of a finger. But that's not the point. My point is that Edward Nygma has escaped and you were reported being the last one talking to him."

I blushed slightly and fought to keep my posture professional.

"I have sources that you are the person here that knows the most about him, seeing as you were the longest standing guard."

I did a double take at that last line. I had been guarding him…for _four days_! And I was the longest? I felt creeped out and scared at the revelation that I was only supposed to last less than a week. He didn't seem that bad to me!

"What about his physiatrists?"

"He was just getting settled and would have gotten his first private one today, seeing as he only came in last week but he escaped on his way to the office. He didn't need any more group sessions, too flighty, disrupted other patients and never got anywhere but lock down." Gordon answered. "But, here's the favor, there was just a mass breakout of the most dangerous villains in Gotham. I'm fresh out of men, and when they told me about you and I looked where you had gone to school, I wanted to offer you the chance to prove yourself to my squad and find Nygma."

I thought this over for a bit. I didn't like to be a fallback person, yet I did want a job on Gordon's squad, the most respected police force in the state.

"You'll get paid for it as if you were our own private detective?" he offered.

"Deal." I shook his gloved hand and went to go investigate the fugitive's cell. At least I knew why he wanted me to answer that riddle so bad, he knew he was going to be gone by the time I got back. I smirked, it would make it that much easier to find him if he found me first.


	6. My First Kiss

I walked into the Riddler's cell and the first thing I noticed was the distinct scent of freshly printed books and the strange minty scent that you might notice in new cars when you open the doors for the first time.

There were bits of paper scattered around with several green question marks as I could have seen from my shifts but on closer inspection I found a stack under his cot that had a bunch of riddles on them. Most of them he had already asked me, but I folded a few sheets and put them in my pocket reasoning that they might be of help if we ever faced off. I managed to get my hands on a magnifying glass from the morgue and after cleaning it thoroughly, began a closer inspection of the room.

I slammed the door to my apartment with frustration a few hours later and huffed as I threw the little information I had on my desk.

I walked into the kitchen and took a leftover slice of pizza from the fridge. The police had nothing! Maybe a few crummy files on their computer but nothing that could be of help! It was like nothing was in hard copies anymore. I gnawed on my pizza and wandered into my room, flopping on the bed with a groan.

"Having trouble?"

My hair stood on edge and I let out a strangled scream. Voices wern't supposed to come out of dark corners in your room! Not where I came from at least!

"G-get out! Who are you?" I stood straight up, panicking completely.

"Forgotten already?" he tutted and stepped forward into the light. Of course he already knew where I lived! The Riddler was standing there in full gear, pressed green suit, violet domino mask, a cane threaded through his arms at the shoulders and all.

"H-how-" I stuttered. Not that I wasn't...happy...to see him. Or anything. Nope.

"Now really, do you need me to answer that? I'm me. No more explanation is needed. Have you figured out my riddle?" His mouth turned up into a smirk I found much more threatening than it wasn't encased in glass.

"You're asking me about this now?" I exclaimed incredulously.

His smirk froze and simply said, "Just...answer it. I know you've figured it out." I was suddenly very nervous when I took in the situation. There was a guy, even more, a crazy guy in my bedroom, asking me to answer a very thought inducing riddle. Thoughts I'd rather not have about a narcissistic lunatic that just escaped from a mental asylum. One I was supposed to be tracking down.

"B-but shouldn't you be hiding...or..." he knew I was supposed to be tracking him down, why wasn't he avoiding me, much less coming in my room and interrogating me!

"I don't feel the need to after what I removed from the police's system. Now what is the answer?" He strode across the room in a few steps until his cane was at my chin, as if this should have scared me. Well it did.

"I kiss!" I would have squeaked out 'please don't hurt me' afterwards but was silenced by his mouth on mine. My knees gave out and I tumbled down on the bed in shock, gasping for air. I felt the smirk on his lips as they worked expertly against mine seeming to find the combination to make my head spin. I was blindingly aware of his hand bracing the back of my neck, but all of it left much too soon.

"Come find me..." he whispered in my ear. The smirk was larger as he trailed his hand over my jawline and left though the open window as if the whole ordeal had never happened.

You might have expected me to ruffle though my papers, or call the police right afterwards but no. I just sat there...dizzy as hell and flustered as if we had made out for three hours. I don't think the time would have made a difference. I swallowed and tried to stand up just to fall back down again thinking, "I'm not reacting this way, this is all a dream"

Moving was out of the question for the time being, and I had been through a long..._very _emotionally challenging day, so I simply curled up and drifted off to sleep, two hours later.


	7. ITS BATMAN

When I woke up the next day, my eyes felt glued shut. I had jolted up many times during the night to stop the damned recurring dreams that would flicker before me. Always the same lips...I shook my head to clear my thoughts and stretched up to the ceiling. I glanced at the worthless notes on my desk and resolved to go to Commissioner Gordon with the fact that the reason they had no files whatsoever on the Riddler was because their system was so easily hack-able.

I dragged myself to the desk and opened a very thin folder of his past hideouts. There weren't very many mapped out for his year and a half career he had going. There were only two shown in the list and I came to the conclusion that there had to be more, he had gotten caught numerous times and couldn't have just recycled these two, he was smarter than that. What had caused his "breakdown" peaked my interest on the next page and I couldn't help but feel like I was on his side. That asshole was just going to fire him? After creating his best selling game? That wasn't right; he was justified to go get revenge! Oops, having sympathy for these people wasn't going to help me at all.

I was contemplating whether or not to call Gordon to see if they had picked up any more files when my cell phone rang.

"Speak of the devil" I muttered and hit the green button.

"Ms. Zyne?" Gordon's voice crackled through the phone.

"Speaking."

"We might have something to help your case, meet me on top of the precinct headquarters at twelve thirty tonight." He hung up, apparently too cool to say something along the lines of 'if that's good for you'. I rolled my eyes; I disliked the commissioner more and more for some reason, probably his lack of manners and etiquette. There just weren't any good gentlemen left in this word.

I sighed in frustration and looked around the dirty apartment. Only living here for a week and a half it already looked like a pig pen. I would have spent more time on it, but Arkham kept me busy with my shift, plus some substituting for friends in their absence. When I wasn't working I was at the gym, trying to get in better shape. All the burly guards around me were making me feel self-conscious so I was trying to get some muscle. I might have been failing at the building exercises, but I did excel at the gymnastics workout. I loved fling around, my long blonde hair whipping behind me, it made me feel graceful, something very foreign to me. The instructor had seen how much I liked it and suggested the free whip lessons that came along with it. Of course I had accepted, thinking of Indiana Jones and loved it! Gotham was turning out to be very...eye opening so far.

The rest of the day I wandered through Arkham, talking to the inmates since my own post had left on its own accord. Around the end of my shift, I was chatting with Jonathan Crane and his…wife I think it was now.

"I really ought to be thanking you, none of the other guards treat us the way you do." Jonathan said.

I had to look up a ways from my short stature at his height and wrinkled my brow.

"What happens with the other guards, do I need to report this?"

Becky came up behind him and wove her fingers through his. "They are sure to stay within the regulations, but only just so that it still…gets on our nerves."

I reflected on this while walking out to my car and couldn't help the stab of annoyance that ran through my chest. I shook it off, saying that it couldn't be that bad or else someone would have done something about it by now. I checked my time and saw that I had a few hours to get to the gym before meeting Gordon.

Sweating profusely afterwards, I took a shower and ran a comb through my hair before getting in the car.

I walked in the precinct doors and saw the whole place bustling with action, as I figured a police station should be after a major breakout of Arkham. I walked to the front desk where a receptionist with French manicured nails, and perfectly coiffed hair was placing call after call on hold.

I cleared my throat pointedly at the counter. She didn't bat an eye so I tried again. Not getting a second glance I finally snapped

"Excuse _you_!" I did not like to be kept waiting to say the least. She gave me a '_bitch please'_ once over before replying coolly.

"May I help you?"

"I need to see Gordon" I snarled through gritted teeth.

"So does everyone else within a ten mile radius"

"Does everybody in a ten mile radius have an appointment?"

That shut her up.

"Go on in." she muttered.

"I was supposed to meet him on the roof?"

She twisted an eyebrow up at me and nodded to a side set of stairs.

It wasn't a very big building, only few stories so it could have been much, much worse than the two flights I had to climb. Being a very chilly evening, I wrapped my coat around me tighter.

"Miss Zyne I'd like you to meet an ally of mine, you might have heard of him." I turned my head slightly and saw Gordon standing in a corner near the famous bat signal. He shifted to the side to reveal _The_ Batman standing in the shadows behind him, his midnight cape draped dramatically around his frame and eye holes gleaming in the darkness

My eyes widened to the size of flying saucers as it hit me over the head hard. I was…meeting...Batman! I suppose I really shouldn't have been goggling that much but mouth was closed at least. I really didn't know what to do after several moments of silence. Was I supposed to shake his hand? Kneel? Oh I hoped I wasn't supposed to kneel-

"I understand you've been put on Edward Nigma's case for the time being." The papers were right. It did sound like he was gargling marbles, but intimidating marbles.

"Correct"

He let his cape fall back and held out a manila folder to me.

"He might be able to wipe the police's system clean but he can't get near mine. All you need to know is in this."

I took it and looked through some of the papers, I was right. He did have many more hideouts that he had wiped clean. I looked up to thank him but saw only commissioner Gordon.

Gordon looked behind him and sighed.

"Yeah…he does that a lot."


	8. I'm Gonna Get Ya

I bounced out of the police station finally satisfied with the information I had gotten from Batman, and if he wasn't a reliable source I didn't know what was…because he's Batman. On my way home my eyes kept straying to the folder in the passenger seat. I already knew it was too late for my mind to make anything out of the information (my brain didn't work after midnight, which probably explained my reaction to Batman) but I still couldn't help wondering what I was going to find tomorrow.

I snuck past the sleeping he-woman at the front desk, slipped up the stairs and into my room trying not to make any noise for my sake as much as theirs. I could hear a rat scurry my ear were so attuned. I opened my door, tossed the folder down on my desk and brushed my teeth. My eyes started to close even before I flopped down on the bed.

I jolted up into morning after a very bad nightmare of traps from the movie Saw. Rubbing my bleary eyes, I tried to un-see the blood bath that was still flashing in front of me. I hated gore...really; it was one of my pet peeves. I shivered at the thought of what would happen if I was forced to do harm to myself to live, surgically removing my eye on my own to get a key behind it that would free me, going through any kind of death trap really…ugh.

I pushed away the images and ruffled my hair. My eyes wandered to the forgotten folder on my desk from the night before and I jumped up to get it, having a moment of grace as I faceplanted on my way there. I shot up, firing mah lasers and snatched up a sharpie.

While I mapped out the rest of the locations, there was a very definite smile on my face. He had told me to find him and dammit I was going to if I had to rip apart the city! Once I had gotten all the new places down I figured there were only two possible locations that could fit him. Warehouses right next to each other on the water front. I smirked and folded up the maps into my pocket, grabbing a sandwich on my way out. 'Come and find me' like hell!

Both warehouses turned out to be pretty damn creepy, hence the current setting and motive. I felt like this was all part of a bad horror movie. The first one I sought out was condemned, and said so on the rusted shut doors. Wiping my hands on my jeans, I looked around and saw a cracked window that seemed pretty close to the ground and small enough for me to fit through. 'Why did I wear my tight jeans?' I thought to myself, swinging a leg up on the windowsill.

With a few minor cuts and bruises, I was successfully inside the dank building.

"Could use some flowers." I muttered to myself. I chuckled and got out my flashlight, shining it around in the pitch black. I was feeling a little nervous so I did what any sane person would do in this situation…talk to themselves.

"Where oh where could my Riddler be…" I checked in a small closet to the side, "oh where, oh where could he be?"

A sarcastic chuckle came from close behind me, close enough to feel body heat. I whirled around and went to slap anything that was in the way of my flying hand, only for it to be blocked by a cold cane. I jumped back, trying to get distance but only saw darkness as my flashlight had been whipped from my hand by the cane. Really? I could have gone to Gordon first, maybe even Batman, but nooo I _had_ to play Nancy Drew!

"Your Riddler, huh? I like it…a bit possessive but," his breaths became closer to my face "I can sympathize." I sank lower to the floor, trying to get as much distance as possible by slipping under his arm. I was starting to run towards my light shining a few feet away but was jerked back by silk covered hands. I struggled feebly but even I could tell it. I wasn't really trying.

"Sorry sweetheart," he purred in my ear, "I hope you're good at…tests" I felt his smirk next to my temple, but was thrown off more by what he called me.

"Sw-?" Was all I had time to get out before chloroform was pressed against my nose and went limp, still being cradled.


	9. Robot

Robin watched with a grim expression tainting his otherwise handsome features as the Zyne girl went into the warehouse and didn't come back out. He knew she was captured but his explicit instructions were to trail her and not let her know. And when Batman gave instructions, they were followed…at least for now. He pressed a radio transceiver in his belt and spoke.

"She fell right into his trap."

"Shame, I thought she would be more careful." Batman's gruff voice rumbled out.

"I did have a hunch that she would turn out to be like-"

"I know, I thought she would be tougher to crack but, apparently history repeats itself." Robin had gotten a hunch when he had first heard about this girl from his mentor that she would turn out, in a twisted way, to be another case like Harleen Quinzel, now better known as Harley Quinn, girlfriend to the Joker. She had been interning at Arkham and met up with him secretly until she couldn't take it anymore and broke him out sporting a red and black Jester's costume recently attained at a costume shop that same night.

"What now? She went in a while ago and no one's come out since." Robin queried.

"Go in there and check it out, but be careful." Dick rolled his masked eyes and snapped the radio off. He would be as careful as he needed to be, I mean this was the Riddler, not very challenging physically.

He lowered himself off the ledge using the grapple and started towards the window she had managed to fit through. Smashing it open, he climbed in and looked around. There was a lone flashlight still shining on the ground, evidence that she had been here and most likely taken by force. He admitted that even in broad daylight, the boarded up windows made the place black as pitch and a bit spooky…

'To anyone who wasn't the boy wonder that is.' He thought to himself. The flashlight was picked up and shone around. He was just about to go investigate the crumbling wall but heard a noise behind him.

Just as he was turning around a fist the size of a small watermelon smashed against his jaw knocking him senseless for a second. Shaking his head, he crouched in a fighting stance but couldn't see a thing until the same knuckles were implanted into his temple. He went down dizzy, trying to restore feeling in the left side of his face but was knocked out by the top of a cane to the back of the head.

Eddie pursed his lips and glared down at the boy old cold before him.

"You two aren't going to ruin my fun just yet." He turned to Bane and nodded, tossing a canister of Titan to him as the small bit he was allowed deflated, turning him back to normal proportions.

Bane growled and walked out the door, he didn't like being treated like a henchman at all.

Eddie grinned and tugged the unconscious Robin into the car with tinted windows and drove to the Police station, pitching him out the door with a warning taped to his chest.

DON'T COME LOOKING OR YOU'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN


	10. Can't Keep My Hands Off You

My head was pounding, it hurt to breathe and I think my mouth was full of sand it was so dry. I sat up groggily and smacked my lips. It was a comfy bed at least. Huh? Comfy-? I tried to regulate my breathing as I opened my eyes slowly. If _he _was watching I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me go into a panic attack.

I could move all my limbs without them hurting but…where were all my scrapes from the other day? I had gotten a few on my hands but they were all bandaged with fresh wrappings, as were the ones on my back.

As my eyes adjusted to being open I came to the conclusion that…if I hadn't been drugged then I would have come here willingly as the furnishings of the room were just up my alley. The plump, downy pillows were slung one after another at the head of a memory foam mattress covered with a silk sheet that could have been mistaken for a fabric version of grass. Hell, this was the style I had always wanted but could never afford. Everything was in the colors green, black, white and purple, but nothing was vibrant enough to be alarming. Then of course I remembered that I had just gotten chloroformed by a nut that had escaped an asylum only a few days ago.

My muscles were shaky as I sat up slowly, no doubt from what I had just gone through. Being drugged wasn't usually on my to-do list. The pools of the fine cloth slid over me and I realized I was naked. I squeaked in surprise and dove back underneath the covers.

"When I get my hands on him..." I hissed to myself. Actually, no that was the wrong thing to say right now considering my...current state of affairs.

"There are many ways my brilliant mind could take that. So I'll choose the one most flattering to me. Whmat will happen when you get your hands on me?" Riddler's voice taunted over the loudspeaker next to the bed.

I snatched the box that was talking to me up and practically screamed.

"Where the hell am I? Let me out! Now I can see why they had you in Arkham and not in Blackgate you filthy-" he cut me off before I could finish.

"Get your clothes on, I had them washed. I didn't undress you that was all Ivy's doing. Really, I'm better than that."

"Where-" I started.

"At the foot of the bed genius." This guy was going to get on my nerves. I liked him much better when I could taunt him, and not the other way around.

Slamming the radio down on the bed side table, I crawled to the other end of the bed trying to keep myself covered and snatched up my clothes stacked in neat piles. As I was getting dressed I looked around the rest of the room I was in. It was pretty large but only had a desk, a TV and a projector scattered around nest to the bed. What really caught my eye were the seven doors on the opposite wall. They were all numbered in order from one to seven and each had a lock. I tried opening one of them but got shocked when I touched the knob.

"Ah, ah, ahh. No cheating!" I looked over at the projector to see it on and pointing to a big space of white on the barrier opposite it. The Riddler's grinning face was projected on the white space in the wall. Had he been watching me this whole time? I was so embarrassed I couldn't a have made a peep much less talked.

"Nothing to say? Not surprised. I should have guessed that your primitive mind would need a few seconds to adjust. I'll wait."He leaned his head on his hand and stared at me.

"P-primitive?" I spat angrily, "Who was that answering all your riddles in the asylum? I could have sworn that was me!"

"Pure luck, I have devised new ones that would baffle the great Holmes himself." He looked quite proud of himself.

I snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, sure, I'll believe that when I see it." The doubt in my voice was starting to piss him off I could tell. Good, it was meant to.

"You shall. Do you recall the tests I spoke of in our…last encounter? They are about to begin." He sounded way too excited at the prospect.

"Oh our 'last encounter'? You mean the one where you drugged and kidnapped me, throwing me into one of your so called death traps? No, I don't recall, please refresh my memory." I put as much sarcasm as possible into that one, but he seemed to overlook it completely.

"Death trap is not the word you are looking for, as the ones I have set up include no physical harm. Only puzzles."

That threw me off. But physical harm was beside the point. This was still a death trap and he had put many other people into one like this. The body count showed that they had indeed been quite vicious ones at that.

"If you are as good as you say you are then you should have no problems at all. My traps are a simple distraction to a mind such as this one." He pointed to his own head for embellishment.

"You enjoy watching people squirm like ants under your magnifying glass!"

"I give them a chance. I pick out the bad seeds in Gotham so that the city itself may thrive. They get the riddle wrong, they're a bad seed. You on the other hand get…special ones." His grin was back as he put his head on the cane in front of him. I didn't like the sound of that at all. Or maybe it was a good thing, better at least than the other ones apparently. I said nothing, letting the situation sink in, but he didn't want me to think this through, not right now at least.

"I draw your attention the safe beneath your desk, your first and final challenge of the day. This is simple. Decode it. Inside you will find a key. That key will unlock the first door and the one inside the first door to the second and so on. Only one challenge a day though, we don't want this to go too quickly now do we?"

I looked around again and noticed another door, apart from the others in a corner of the room.

"What about that one?" I asked, nodding to it.

"I'm getting there! After you complete the day's challenge, you may go through there to find something to do. No, it's not the way out and it doesn't unlock until you're done."

"But why can't I-" I started to say, but he cut the screen off. Well this was just great. I looked at the safe ruefully and lugged all fifty pounds of it over to the bed. I looked at it for a while before my stomach started rumbling. I figured food was off limits as well until the challenge was complete. My mind stewed as I toyed with the dial. This wasn't even a challenge; I could do better than this and so on.

It turned out to be a twelve digit combination that took about three hours to crack. I had never really taken a course in safe-cracking but figured out the basics soon enough. Not so easy after all I had to admit. I would never tell that to him though.

When I finally got the last number I almost cried as the lock popped. I opened it victoriously and grabbed the key labeled "1" glancing over at the first door. I could do that tomorrow; I just needed food right now. I started towards the corner exit but glanced at the first door again. It couldn't hurt to try…

I picked up the key and ventured over, inserting it into the slot. A shock traveled up my arm again, this one more vicious than the last. I gasped and dropped the key, shaking my hand to relieve the tingling. Even if I couldn't hear him, I knew he was laughing at me. I grit my teeth at the thought and shuffled over to the door, opening it to reveal a table full of food and…him sitting at the table reading a newspaper.


	11. Sixteen Going on Seventeen

"You-" I started, stalking towards him. But really, what do you say to a guy who just drugged you? 'Hope you had a nice time'?

"Me" He smirked, never even looking up from his crossword puzzle. His feet were propped up on the table in front of him, looking completely at ease. I fought back the urge to say 'bacon and eggs dear?' like a bad 50's breakfast scene and settled on clenching my fists together instead.

When he finally glanced up, apparently done with his puzzle, he didn't do much but just stare at me.

"Did you come in here to ogle me or eat? Because I'm fine with both."

That was it. I marched up to him and cracked him one right in the face! His face turned with the impact but I could tell that he was trying to hold back a grin.

"That's all you can say? After throwing me into this trap like some kind of lab rat?" I hissed.

"Excuse me but I am _not _Jonathan Crane. He's next door. I can set an appointment up if you want, I don't recommend it though." he shuddered, apparently remembering bad experience.

"Don't change the subject! What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Sit down and eat," he sighed. "You'll need your strength for tomorrow." The newspaper went around his face again. I glanced at the food and debated. I could do as he said and be out of here in a few days, a week at the most, or I could get him frustrated. Figuring on the fact that he had the whole of Gotham tapped he could probably find me the same day I escaped, _if_ that was possible. I could at least pretend to play along...for now.

I sat down huffily and took a bite. 'Damn good food for a hostage situation' I thought. He watched me while I ate and when I was through he sat back, still pretty much glaring at me.

"Better? You hadn't eaten for a full day."

"You drugged me for a whole day?" He shook his finger and smiled at me.

"A day and a half."

I rolled my eyes, I couldn't help myself.

"Thanks for clearing that up. What now? Do I finally get answers?"  
>"It depends on the questions." He sighed, folding his hands in his lap. "Try me."<p>

"Why?"

"Mmm, nope, try again." He chuckled.

"You can't get a question wrong! Only an answer!"

"Its a rule made up by my close associates." He quipped.

I was going to regret asking this, I could tell but,

"Who would they be?"

"Myself" He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

I face-palmed. If he was going to answer all the questions like this one, we were going to have a problem. Well, more of a problem than we already did. But I tried again, going against the voice in my head that always told me to just let things lie where they were.

"Okay, what happened to just talking normally? When did death traps come into play? I didn't think you had a problem with me before."

He actually looked surprised at this, at least he answered.

"Oh but we don't have a problem. Quite the contrary I like to think. This is simply a test to see if you are worthy enough to be my..._friend._

I burst out laughing when I heard this. That was probably the most stuck-up thing I had ever heard him say. I stopped my giggles when I saw that he looked a bit hurt.

"Why are you laughing? I answered truthfully, do you wish for us to have a problem? Keep doing that and we will." The last part came out kind of like a growl, his darker side showing through the eye holes in his domino mask.

I faltered and bit my lip to stop. I forgot about his trouble with people making fun of him. Instead I went another direction. Coddling.

"I'm not laughing at you." I cooed. "That just,,,caught me off guard." His look softened a bit but the frown was still on him mouth. 'Changing the subject sounds good about now' I decided.

"Why did you escape?" I had a terrible feeling it was because of me.

"For the tests especially. It was quite a rush getting things back in order around here, let me tell you that. I had to find new sheets-"

He lost me halfway through the ramble. He had broken out just to test me? Test and not trap? This was so out of the ordinary from what I had seen of his criminal record.

"Are you ignoring me?" he whined.

"Huh?" I started "N-no sorry, just thinking."

He paused and looked at me, his head in his hands."You're not thinking of slapping me again are you? You hit hard."

I looked him up and down, in almost the exact same stance. "Why did you kiss me?" I asked hoarsely.

I saw him grind his teeth together, apparently mapping out how to answer it. I swallowed a smart remark seeing the faint tinges of red come to his cheeks.

"Question, why does anyone kiss? I believe you're smart enough to figure that out."

"Yeah, I just wanted to hear you say it...that's not gonna happen is it?"

He smirked and shook his head.

"Figured so." I groaned. "Well I can't do another challenge today, what's there to do?"

He hopped out of his chair and started listing everything, unfortunately there wasn't much.

"I have numerous crosswords, DVD's, movies and so on."

"Is that all?" I sighed.

He smirked and looked over to the table I was still seated at. "Well you could always talk to me."

And it looked as if I was going to have to, bored or not. The guy just wouldn't shut up. He would jabber on about past victims, how he was going to best Batman, what was the latest happening to the villains. I swear if the guy hadn't kissed me two days ago I would have pronounced him a homosexual. I looked at the clock on his monitors after what seemed to be few hours and saw it was after midnight already!

I laid my head on my hands as my eyes started drooping. He glanced over to me from looking towards the monitors and smirked.

"Go to bed. You shall need all the sleep you can get for the challenge in store for you."

"Huh?" I jolted up."Oh, yeah right" I rolled my eyes and walked to the trap room, flopping into bed. I was dead asleep in a few minutes.


	12. I Want You to Want Me

Eddie watched her the moment she walked out the door leading to the bedroom. He pondered why she hadn't changed from her regular clothes before she went to sleep and realized he hadn't taken the liberty to have anything sent over.

"Nigma you are so absent minded at times." He muttered to himself. He wasn't stupid, just absentminded, distracted with...other thoughts lately. Picking up the phone, he dialed Isley's number. He certainly wasn't going to risk going out to get her belongings, what with the Dark Knight keeping the place under constant watch. He had expelled the boy blunder as best he could, and they wouldn't get near him with the bluff. But Batman would figure something out soon enough. He just hoped Beth would come to her senses fast enough.

"What?" came Ivy's snarling voice from the other end of the line.

"Look alive, I need some belongings of her's" Eddie snapped.

"Get them yourself! Do you know what time it is?"

"Does it matter?" He sneered.

There was a deep breath from the other end of the line and Ivy's seduction voice,the one she used just as she was about to give her victim the literal kiss of death, came out. "If you wake me up just to wait on your little wannabe girlfriend again, there won't be enough left of her to test!" And the line went dead with a firm click.

"Yeesh, touchy!" He snickered. But he really did need to find someone to run an errand...someone gullible. He thought for a second, the answer was obvious...Harley Quinn.

She answered on the first ring.

"Yullo?"

"Harley, can you do me a quick favor?"

"Oh sure Eddie, whats up. I think Mistah J's gonna be working late tonight anyway."

Edward chose to overlook the fact that Joker would work late every night, probably at the local strip club when he got tired of Harley.

"Yeah can you go get some essentials from the address 221 Cooker Street?" There was scratching of a pencil on the other end of the line and she came back on.

"Be right there!"

Ah Harley, she might be annoying at times but if you really needed something ungodly done, she was the one to go to. That was if her "puddin'" didn't need her.

He turned his attention back to the computer monitors and furrowed his eyebrows together. She was just like an angel, so peaceful in sleep. Shining hair strewn about like a halo and lips slightly parted in relaxation. He bent over and made a face as a wave of...that feeling came over him again. This _had_ to stop. But it was like he couldn't help it. He hated the feeling of being helpless to anything, he was _The Riddler_ god-dammit! Nothing should be above him and his intellect! Then there was Beth, always snapping back with a quick retort, never doing as he thought she would, always surprising him. When he first met her she had just been another guard to mutilate the mind of, to play with, then she started getting along with all of the Rouges, not taunting or threatening as a usual guard would but there was a shred of something else in her, something he was hoping to find out in this series of tests. If she was worth the tingling sensations or the muddled thoughts...god, the muddled thoughts were the worst, then he would just have to see what happens.

A quick look at the monitor again showed her twisting around to burrow her face in a green pillow resting beside her. Nigma winced as the feeling became stronger, bunching his fingers up to retain the twitching yearning they felt. He busied himself with his rubix cube and didn't look up until there was a knock on one of his cameras. It showed a beaming Harley Quinn outside, holding a small suitcase.

He switched on the outside light and typed in the pass code to open the door.

She skipped inside and threw the suitcase on the table, holding out her arms for a hug.

Edward raised his eyebrow and reluctantly stood still for the embrace to be over. If you wanted her help you had to indulge her a bit.

"Is it true Eddie? You got Bethy in here?" He wondered if the girl in question had let her use that nickname as he nodded to the camera showing her bedroom.

Harley bounced up and down excitedly.

"Boy you got it bad doncha?" she said mischievously. He scoffed and turned away.

"I don't know what your talking about."

"Ohhh yeah you do!" her grin widened and she winked at his apparent blush.

"May I help you with anything else Harley?" He snapped.

Harley winced but kept the smile plastered on her face.

"Nah, I gotta be getting back anyway. See ya Eddie!" She then waved and skipped out the door.

Eddie sighed and looked at the suitcase in desire. He wanted to go through it, but the owner might find out...and that certainly wasn't going to be pretty. He stared at it for a while and decided, she would never know anyway. Flipping the latches open a piece of paper was the first thing he saw.

EDDIE GET YOUR PURPLE SILK HANDS OUT OF HER STUFF

written in Harley's curly-cue writing. He snarled and ripped the paper out, slamming the case shut. Was he that predictable?

The monitor showed her still fast asleep, he could probably sneak in without waking her up. The door soundlessly opened,a dim light illuminating the pitch room. Once the suitcase was on the foot of the bed he turned to leave but hesitated. A pull was coming from the bed that he just couldn't resist, not at this time of night.

Leaning over, he took a deep breath, just enjoying her presence that smelled of...tropical fruits and just something that could only be described as Beth. He lowered himself so that his lips were barely touching her cheek. Just as he was about to move at last, her hand shifted a small bit to lie on top of his.

His eyes widened and a very strong emotion clouded his mind., causing a blush to rise. After a few minutes he slid his hand carefully from under hers and slipped out the door, leaving it open behind him in case she needed something. Screw his rules.


	13. Fun With Rubick's Cubes!

Oh, this was an uncomfortable position. I hated sleeping on my stomach! Sitting up, I grumbled and petted my hair down, then gave up when my hand got caught. Where was the-why was the door already open? I eyed it carefully as if I knew the boogeyman was about to jump out and eat me. I slid out of bed carefully, trying not to make any noise but failed, tipping over the suitcase that was set at the foot of my bed. I winced as the sound bounced loudly against my eardrums. That was yet another thing I hated about the morning. Everything seemed amped up ten notches.

I carefully picked up the bag and was ecstatic to find my favorite clothes, toiletries and so on tightly packed. I peeked out the door cautiously and saw my captor sprawled on his keyboard, the blue light contrasting with the dark green of his clothes, apparently asleep.

There had to be a bathroom around here somewhere, I mean it looked like he lived here. I crept in the room and thought about jumping on him, but decided against it. I glanced around the room and saw two doors. The first one I tried was locked, but the second one proved to be exactly what I was looking for.

After a _very _thorough shower I put on some clean clothes and crept back in the main room. The guy was still fast asleep!

I poked his shoulder experimentally and jolted back when he sat straight up.

"Wha-?"

"Wake up sleeping beauty!" I smirked.

He grinned."So you've finally noticed."

I sneered and marched into the bedroom "As if." I closed the door after me, ready to get the challenge for the day out of the way.

"This better not shock me." I muttered, turning the key warily. Thankfully there was no zap in response and I pushed the door open. There was just a simple white room beyond with a pile of Rubik's cubes next to a timer. Well this wasn't going to turn out very good at all. I mean Rubik cubes just annoyed the hell out of me. I tried and tried multiple times before but never seemed to get all the sides right.

"As you hopefully have guessed, your challenge today is so simple a monkey with his finger shoved up his nasal cavities could do it." I was close to making a smart response to that but refrained myself. "You are to solve one, _only one_ of these fun puzzles in ten minutes. The first one you see has the key to your second door inside. Seeing as you've got so much time I would be eager to see how many you can complete seeing as I, myself can do it in less than a minute...begin" and the screen switched off.

I could have sat there raging all day but instead I leapt at the pile and started twisting vigorously. In about five minutes I had that one side complete, but the rest were making me go crazy. And he could do a whole one in less than a minute? He had to be exaggerating!

When time was up, the screen crackled back to life and he eyed me, already with a gloating look plastered on his face. He had been watching of course.

"Well?" He grinned. I fingered the incomplete cube in frustration as he snickered. "My, my. Is someone not competent enough to solve one mere Rubik's cube in such a lengthy amount of time as ten minutes? Pity, really"

I hissed, something popping in my brain. He and his Rubik's cube fetish was driving me up the wall...the wall. I eyed the embankment opposite me. I needed that key! I threw the cube at the wall as hard as I could. It collided with a loud _CRACK_ and I grinned in triumph as the metal object marked 2 clattered onto the floor. I picked it up and skipped out of my room and into the main one where he was staring at me slack jawed.

"You...cheated." He said simply.

I smirked at him and twisted an eyebrow up, tossing the key into the air and into my palm.

"I don't care if I cheat, as long as I win." That made him very pissed. He launched out of his seat raising his oh so beloved cane in the air, as if preparing to strike me with it. Hell cometh if he actually hit me, so to spare him his life I grabbed the curved top and twisted it away from him. Rolling away, I stuck the bottom part under his still charging feet, tripping him up and making his face go into the wall. I stood up a little stunned all so much had happened so fast. Looking at the cane in my hand I smiled and gave it a twirl. It was rather addicting.

Edward stood up slowly, a vein in his temple throbbing with anger. I squeaked and ran...I'd like to say I wasn't scared but I really didn't want to die today. When I looked back he was hot on my trail and the stunned look he was wearing just made me go to pieces laughing. What with the giggles stemming from my lips and the fact there wasn't really much place to run he soon had me trapped in my room. I jumped up on the bed giggling like a crazed person holding the cane behind my back.

"Give me back my cane" He spoke slowly and deliberately, emphasizing each word and injecting as much poison into them as possible. I glanced into his face, clutching the cane to me as hard as I possibly could. His face still held anger, but there was none in his eyes...yeah I could mess with him a little.

"...no" I spoke firmly, but with a grin still twitching at my mouth.

He kicked a foot of the bed causing it to shake so violently I fell off the bed and right into his arms.

"Now" he growled. I could only shake my head in response. I was speechless but the nervousness that seemed to be soaking through my body, making everything weak hadn't gone into my muscles, so the cane was still mine. Once again he kissed me but not nearly as gentle as the first time. This one forced my head back with the anger put behind it. I didn't try to stop him. He finally broke away, his cane in his hand once again. He put me down as a new problem rose to the surface. Who did he think he was?

I smacked him again, hard.

"What was that-?" He started.

"Is that your solution to everything?" I snapped. I made my voice get a lower pitch, trying to imitate his tone. "Boy I can't think of anything else to say let's kiss Beth! The cubs just won the world series, lets kiss Beth! Oh well it looks like we're out of pickles, I'll just kiss Beth!"

He smirked, his know-it-all attitude back.

"Do you have a problem with it?"

That shut me up.


	14. I Whip My Hair Back and Forth

Instead of going right to the second door the next day, I lazed around for a bit. I was starting to feel a bit more relaxed now that I knew I could take him. Well...for a while at least. I had gotten the upper hand for a small bit yesterday, but then he kissed it right back. My cheeks heated up at the thought and I picked at the shiny key that I was toying with. I needed to get over this crush even if he did apparently feel the same way. _Very _apparently. The melting pot in my stomach was turning out to be a bitch. It felt like I had swallowed hot lava and a little elf was stirring it up. I wanted to kill that elf.

Great, I was starting to think there was a little elf in my stomach. I needed help. Bad. Was it possible for crazy to rub off on you?

"Beth, are you going to laze around all day or actually do something productive?" I groaned and rolled over on my bed.

"You sound like my mother!" I yelled back.

"What?" I snorted derisively, not knowing his voice could get that high pitched. As much as I hated to admit it he was right. The third day here, a bunch of challenges to do and I was lying around as if I was on vacation. But I wasn't just sitting there, no. I was planning my revenge. Nobody makes me look like a fool and gets away with it! But how to get him back...

"Can I call Harley?Or Ivy?" I hadn't officially met Ivy, but for what kind of revenge I had in mind she was the best candidate.

"I might allow visiting hours after you finish the challenge." Ugh, him and his snide comments were going to get a slap in the face, but this time I wasn't going to be touching him. At all.

"Fine!' I snapped.

When I unlocked the first door it was anticlimactic, the second however made my body numb. Moving blades as big as my body were actively spiraling around in an open pit underneath a single string of wire strung ten feet above them. There was no way I could make that! I glared at the glimmering knife wheels, sharp enough to be slicing the air around them with a sheek _WHOOSH. _On the opposite side of the dimly lit room there was three question marks glowing a menacing neon green.

_"_I thought you said no physical harm" I shrieked, knowing he would hear me. And sure enough a loudspeaker switched on.

"Yeah, about that..I lied." and it went back off.

Lying was just as bad as cheating! If he got to lie I got to cheat. The door to my room was still cracked and I rushed in, looking around for my bag. Whoever had gotten my stuff for me I hoped they had packed-yes! They must have known my hobbies! Normally I would have been creeped out if someone had guessed exactly what I needed, but at the moment I was just grateful. I gave my whip an experimental crack and grinned at the noise. To hell with only two lessons! I was gonna go Indiana Jones on his ass! Before the crack could alert him to my weapon I rushed into the room and calculated the distance.

The room itself was huge, I estimated about twenty square feet all around but the wire stretched across the whole of it. The lip I was standing on before the "pit of death" was raised about five feet from the blades, and since the wire was ten feet above the pit, I could reach it easily if I jumped. But with my balance, I couldn't make it the whole way. I could flip around like a freaking five year old on the jungle gym but I would walk into walls if I wasn't paying attention. My whip was about eight feet, so I only needed to crawl across most of the wire. Common sense told me those glowing question marks should be hit, they weren't there to be pretty.

I jumped onto the wire and made my way across, crawling like a koala bear. At one point my foot slipped and I swear I had a small heart attack. when I was about two thirds the way across I looked down and closed my eyes. I needed to hit those marks and I needed to hit them now, I was afraid of heights. Taking a deep breath, I slid my whip from across my waist and positioned it, thinking out the distance. Three of them...I lashed out and missed.

My whip got jerked up quickly before the blades could chew it up and I wrinkled my forehead. I hummed Indiana Jones theme through my head as I took another try. On the second try I skimmed the top of one. Apparently all that it needed, the light went out with a loud pop. As soon as the light went off, the first row of blades shut down and sunk into the floor leaving a perfectly clear spot to walk over. Biting by tongue, I looked down and saw two of the three wheels still chopping loudly against each other. I snapped my wrist again and quickly got the hang of where the hip landed each time. The last two lights shut down after many more tries. I dropped down to the now clear floor and just sat there panting like a dog. I had been tensing up all my muscles for what seemed like fifteen minutes straight and my arms felt like jelly. I sheen of sweat coated my forehead but I didn't move to wipe it off for a few moments. None of my appendages were ready for that.

I took a few deep breaths and hoisted myself onto the lip. These tests were going to be the death of me if the rest were like this one! There is was, the damned key. Glistening innocently in the dim light.

Huffing, I grabbed it up and dragged myself off the floor, into my room and onto the bed. Where the hell did one get a massage around here?

"Give me the whip." I craned my head to see the villain of the hour standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable.

"Like hell that's gonna happen boy. Its the only ally I've got in here."

"But it's cheating!" He whined.

"Your cheating! It's like you don't want me to pass these!" He shifted his feet awkwardly in place with a sheepish look.

"You really don't. But I'm going to." my eyes narrowed as I started stalking towards him. "You may hit me with everything you have, keep pushing me until I'm hanging off the cliff by a pinky," my voice started to rise dramatically as it should have with the speech I was drawing out "but I will get out of this mess of traps with flying colors and when you unlock that door to give me back to the free world of goddam _justice_, you will know that I am better than The Riddler!" What had made me get up in his face all the sudden I had no clue, but the fact I had actually hissed all of that like a mad cat made him draw back a little.

"And they say I'm melodramatic" I heard him mutter as he turned heel. The door was still open but I didn't go out

My mind was steaming on, thinking of new ways to get to him. Like I said, he might push me so far off the cliff I was hanging by a pinky, but with a certain redhead's help I could make sure he would hoist me back up and never let go. Possessive, yes. But the thought of him under my spell was enough to make me not care in the slightest.

You could ask me when the whole of my life turned tables but I felt so much like a Rubik's cube at the moment I wouldn't have been able to answer coherently. He could be chloroforming me one day, then trying to kiss me the next. I would want to smack him senseless one second and within the same amount of time turn him into a mindless zombie with a make out session. But I only knew one thought right now.

He would be mine.


	15. Whats Under Your Leotard

When saying he would be mine, I didn't mean in a way that suggested I would just prance in there and start giving him a free lap dance, no. This was going to be as confusing for him as it was for me!

As I glanced at the open door, I debated going out and snatching his phone up or just asking him politely. Hell, this was Gotham.

I walked through the doorway, right up to his desk and snatched the cell phone out of his hand.

"I was playing Sudoku!" He exclaimed affronted.

"That's nice" I said, already halfway to my room. Only a few more steps-

"No you don't!" A hand grabbed my arm and spun me around. "How do I know you won't alert Gordon."

"How would I know his number?"

"Everyone knows 911!" Something vague clicked in my mind that said batman should have saved me by now, but I didn't pay any attention. If he was going to ignore me, I was going to ignore him. I would get out of this jam in my own time.

"How about you monitor me?" I suggested, a teasing note in my voice. He narrowed his eyes but walked with me into my room.

"Who are you calling anyway?" He was trying to sound leisurely.

I flashed him a grin and put the phone up to my ear.

"Harley. You wanna see girl talk?" I felt the back wind of his coat as he raced out the door. I smirked and waited for her to pick up. But instead of Harley, I think Ivy answered.

"What is it this time, Nigma? Need bondage equipment?"she snarled.

My mouth hung open in shock. Bondage-huh?

"What?" I exclaimed. There was a scuffling on the other end of the line as a blush rose to my cheeks at what Ivy was thinking getting a call from Edward. Bondage equipment?

A voice in the background was screaming for some reason as I tried not to think about it too much.

"Gimme the phone, Red I wanna talk to her!" It sounded like the phone dropped.

"Bethy? How he treating you? Ya want me and Red to come over there?"Harley's accent drawled.

"Actually that's what I was calling about-"

"Ooh goody! We'll be right over!"

"Wait!" I said quickly. "Could you pick up a few things for me in the way of clothes?"

Harley's voice went up a whole octave at the prospect.

"SHOPPIN'! Waddaya need?"

"Um..." I hesitated. I needed an expert on this. "Can I talk to Ivy?"

"I can hear you, baby." Must have been on speaker phone.

I gave them a quick once over and tried to keep it down. God forbid he actually hear about this. The ass would probably find a way to flip it for his use. When I got to the bottom of my mental list my voice was so low I kept having to repeat it for them to hear and I tought my whole face was as red as the sun on a hot day in the Sahara. I hung up with the sound of their girlish cackles ringing in my ears. Lord, I hoped I had enlisted this kind of help in the right people.

When I shuffled out I looked around for my victim I didn't see a trace. There was the sound of running water from the bathroom, maybe he was taking a shower. He should have known better.

An evil smile spread across my face and I snuck to his giant wall of monitors. Flopping down into his chair, I almost sighed out loud. It was one of those _really_ comfy computer chairs that just made you want to sit on your butt all day. I hated them but they just beckoned to me! I wiggled the mouse and snorted when I saw he had locked all access to them. That was amusingly ignorant of him. I could break through this with my eyes shut. I first tried a few passwords. '_Enigma?'_ no, _'Smarts?'_ I gritted my teeth and typed in several variations of his own name, then even some of mine. I felt anticipation if it was mine, because if it was, he would never hear the end of it. Sadly, those didn't go through either. I clicked on his security question in a last attempt.

'_What is your favorite color?'_

Wow. I underestimated the guy. He really was an idiot.

Once into his system, I scanned around on the homepage, looking for something to do. I played a couple games of mind sweeper, checked out what was going down at the precinct (he had pretty much every corner of Gotham wired) and hell, even checked my own room. I raised an eyebrow in shock. He had my room tapped? That was comforting.

I hadn't even noticed the water stopped running until I listened after a few minutes. Oh god was he out? Well you can imagine how fast I logged off and jet into the other room.

After a few minutes he peeked in with a strange look somewhere between confusion and suspicion. He stared at me. And I stared right back. He narrowed his eyes and slid his head back into the other room without saying a thing for once. Ah fuck he knew.

"Need something?" I tried to put a little petulance in my tone.

He stuck his head back in.

"Why were you calling Harley?"

I stared and the book in my hands and I realized it was upside down. I quickly shut and put it aside.

"I was merely asking Harley and Ivy to do a few favors for me. That's all." He raised his eyebrow, noticing the interesting shade of magenta splashed onto my face.

"Like what?"

"Just...favors..." His mouth formed a straight line of annoyance.

"If you're thinking they'll help you escape-"He started.

"Never thought of that I'll be sure to ask them when they get here!"

I won't allow it." He said calmly.

I snorted. "Sure you won't"

He looked completely at ease, throwing full trust in his security system. "This is my domain and no one gets in or out until I say so."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth Harley and Ivy came bursting through the door and amidst the shouts of anger from Eddie at having his hideout broken into I was bright red again. I snatched them both into my room before he could ask what was in the bags.

Ivy huffed and threw a pod at Edward which upon contact exploded and wrapped him tightly in sickly green vines before shutting the door firmly behind us.

Harley jumped on me and made the feelings in my fingertips go on pins and needles for a few seconds before Ivy dragged her off, taking pity on me.

"Anyway! We went everywhere. Even Victoria's Secret, that place apparently doesn't get robbed every day!" Harley rattled.

"They looked quite shocked." Ivy added. "Here, try this on for size." She flung what looked like a green scrap of silk at me.

I caught it, mortified. They didn't need to go everywhere I told them! I was really chicken when it came to stuff like guys and seduction. I had very little experience, so naturally I yellowed out.

"Um...I think I'm good for now but thanks anyway!" I chirped. That was weird. I never chirped.

"Are ya sure?" Harley prodded.

But Ivy was having none of it. I had asked for her help and goddamn I was going to get it!

"Try it. On." She snarled. Considering she had pulled that pod from nowhere I figured I'd better do as she said. Who know what the hell was shoved under that leotard. I got undressed with chagrin and stood shivering in the tiny scrap of clothing they had forced me into. God I could be swearing vengeance earlier today but be completely humbled by this...thing they called lingerie.

"k-kay." I mumbled. I tried not to look down because when I did, there was way too much skin showing than necessary.

The two sirens turned from talking amongst themselves and Harley's eyes widened comically huge.

"Wow! Blondie, you look hot!" She yelled.

Ivy clapped her hand over Harley's mouth and surveyed me with a critical stare. She got up, dragging Harley under her arm (in case she tried to yell out again) and walked around me, making me feel more self conscious than I already was. She grabbed my hands and peeled them off my body where I was trying to cover up.

"Don't be self conscious. Men are attracted to confidence in a woman." she stated. "Nigma on the other hand..." I heard in the after thought.

"C-can I just try these on in my own time?" I was trying to withhold what dignity I had left.

Ivy nodded and looked at my clock. "We need to be going anyway."

Harley wriggled out of Harley's grasp with a new, big grin on her face. "J's gonna take me blowing tonight!"

"Do...I even want to know what that means?"I stared at her dumbfounded. I couldn't help it, that would have sounded dirty to Jesus.

Ivy rolled her eyes as I got dressed in some normal clothes. "They're going to tag dynamite to everything downtown and play with the bat a little. She thinks it's a bonding experience."

"Oh but it is-" Harley started, but Ivy was already dragging her out the door.

"Wait!" Harley yelped. She squirmed out of Ivy's arms and rustled around in the bag, coming back out with a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs. "You won't be needing these, you've got a green pair!" and with that she trotted away after her companion, shutting the door with a crash. As I heard the locks click back into place I strolled over to where Nigma was still wrestling around on the floor trying to get loose.

"Need some help?" I grinned.

He screamed out breaths of air through his nose to show his discomfort. Feeling my confidence returning, I looked around for something to cut him loose with. I rummaged around in some drawers and finding a nail clipper, sauntered back over. I twirled them teasingly in front of his nose, holding back laughter as his eyes momentarily crossed.

"Now what was that I heard a while ago?" I leaned forward, putting a hand to my ear. "you need...help?"

He rolled his eyes and nodded very deliberately. I took my time, making sure to start at the bottom, then switch sides and cut his mouth free. I should have saved that for last.

"What are you hiding in there?" He spat, his eyes enraged and glowing like embers.

"Just clothes." I replied shortly. I wasn't in the mood for talking. There was an unknown feeling washing over me as I worked at the bonds. He initiated the kisses. Why did he initiate them all the time? I know it was ridiculous to be thinking of such a random action as such, but it just came to mind. He was still rambling on about what would happen if I was hiding anything, but I heard nothing.

Finally after five minutes I got fed up. I was trying to think why wouldn't he shut up? And why were these damn vines so freaking tough? Most of his upper body was still bound and I calculated how much longer it would take. It didn't look good.

"And you really think you could get past my intellect-"

"shut up." I muttered.

He looked quite offended for a moment. "What?"

I looked up from my clippers and shifted my body so I was facing his chest. I peeled off his mask and just looked at his regular characteristics.

"W-what are you doing?" He tried to leer. I traced a finger down his jaw and felt a slight shudder.

"Shut up," I repeated "and kiss me" with that I bent my head down and kissed him for once, instead of the other way around. He pushed and I pushed back. He moved, I moved. That damn elf was stirring up my stomach again, at the moment though, it was at the back of my mind. There were only his lips. When I broke away I left the clippers by his side and walked into the next room. He didn't try to stop me.


	16. Shifts

Batgirl stood on a neighboring rooftop of the Riddler's hideout. It had been four days. Four days since the hostage situation had come up. This was the last thing she needed to be doing, what with the Joker and some other Rouges let loose upon Gotham. She should be scouting around instead of watching over this place, but it had to be done. Apparently Bruce and Dick had everything else under control. She swung her legs over the side of the building and let them dangle as if she was a little five year old by a stream. She had the same deep in thought look to match.

Riddler really should just learn to ask a person out, this was ridiculous. But of course, things never could be that simple with him. It often wandered through her mind what had gone wrong. The guy had a lot going for him if a female thought about it. He had the smarts, the somewhat loveable attitude and the looks. In a fight between them once his mask slipped off revealing the greatest green eyes she had ever seen. They were raging with determination at the time but one could tell. Of course every villain had a back story and some even demanded a hint of sympathy. Edward Nigma's was one of them. He was beaten by his father as a child as the louse thought his son an idiot. Later on in life he had gotten fired from his job at Competitron even when he had created their best game. She supposed that was the straw that broke the camel's back, but everyone had a choice, he had just chosen the wrong ones.

Batman had been going out of his mind trying to keep Gotham under control, Bethany had been in one of the tops spots of his ridiculously long list. This poor girl was only supposed to help him out and look what had happened to her! It showed you just what kind of a city Gotham was, cruel and dark. Metropolis sounded so good this time of year...

Her eyes sharpened as she saw Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy come giggling down the street. Quickly retracting her legs, she shrunk back on the ledge a little, less they see were laden with bags and packages that looked very girly. What in the hell were they doing with those at the Riddler's place? She had to think on that for about five seconds before putting two and two together. Her hand came around her sides and she shivered.

'That poor girl.' She thought. Pulling out her radio, the redhead quickly snapped in.

"I've got a development about Nigma."

Alfred answered back immediately.

"Report miss Gordon."

"I've spotted Harleen Quinzel and Pamela Isley going in there with a bunch of bags that weren't looking too innocent."

"You don't think those three are going to do anything that might include sexual harassment do you?"

She winced at the thought.

"I'll let you know if anything further happens, just let Bruce know." and she snapped it off.

A few minutes later she was proven wrong by the sight of the female villains leaving, Harley spinning a pair of fluffy handcuffs on her index finger.

Barbra gagged. "Again with the mental images!" she muttered, but she radioed it in nonetheless.

"They just left. But the stuff's missing."

"Very good. I must tell you that Master Bruce instructed you to not make any moves without his consent first."

"I can deal with that."

A while passed before the Riddler himself came out with his jacket off and sleeves rolled up, a very agitated look adorning his features. He didn't do much but light a cigarette and lean against the wall. She thought about taking action right then, but she thought it over. Who knew what he had planned for her in there. She had no idea what she was up against, and so she held back.

She watched as he looked over the Gotham bay and went back in.

'Yes, it was important to look at all sides of the puzzle box.' She decided.

"Bats sent me to give you a break, get some rest."

Barbra turned her head to see Robin step out of the shadows, his grim face set. Always hoping to lighten the mood between them, she smiled brightly and stood up.

"Thanks, I could use it." He didn't look in a very good mood at all tonight. He must have been fighting with Bruce again. Batgirl decided to not push her luck and settled on a quick kiss to his cheek. By the time he had begun to blush she was already out of sight.


	17. How to Love

I lazed around most of the day, stewing on what had just taken place. If you were to peek in on me right now (like I'm sure he was doing) you would have seen a perfectly calm adult on a bright green bed. The only times I looked calm was when I was a raging civil war on the inside. A little strange, yes. But my emotions were stuffed inside me like a fat turkey on Christmas day. There was the first side, also my bad one, who I had deemed Emma. Just cause I could. On the other side there was me, Beth. Usually we would discuss this without getting a brain tumor but I felt like the two were duking it out in there today. The path was going like this so far;

Beth: He's an ass! Don't fall for him!

Emma: Go ahead, he's been so sweet to you!

Beth: He drugged me!

Emma: Because he loves you!

God. Love was a word I didn't even want to get into it with yet. Love is only another branch of weakness. A weakness I couldn't deal with right now. No one had ever really..."loved" me. I was orphaned at three, bounced around from home to home until I was old enough to get my own place, a job and worked through an education. Dating and friends had always been on the sidelines. People had asked me out, but I had never been interested, so I didn't bother with it, thinking that men only got in the way of things from what I had heard around the lunch room. Jimmy did this and Archie did that and "oh what a tragic love story it was". Nope. Too much of a stress.

I licked my lips nervously. When had everything become so damned confusing anyway? Beth chose to speak up and say it was when the idiot had drugged me. Emma piped up at the same time though, saying that it could easily be fixed with a simple walk into the other room, to just start talking normally.

'You know you want to' I heard her purr. 'To be wrapped up in his embrace, never to be-'

"Shut up!" I hissed aloud.

He very apparently had feelings for me. Nothing else could account for the multiple signals he had sent me. No, there wasn't any doubt in that. The only problem was that...I didn't know how to respond. I guess you dealt with all the assholes as exes for practice so you would be experienced when that special person came along, but I was absolutely clueless. I crawled under the covers and curled up in a tight ball. I squeezed my fists together and grabbed a pillow to cling onto. Burying my face into the soft folds, I imagined it was _him_ I was holding so tightly.

"_See you had a lotta crooks tryna steal your heart_

_Never really had luck couldn't ever figure out how to love"_

**AU: Heyy, I never really do these anymore, nor do I want to sound like one of those beggars but it really would help me a lot if you left a review. If you already do, fantastic! They make my day, but if you haven't yet I would love to hear what you think :) Feel free to PM me as well. The last two lines are from Lil Wayne's song **How to Love.

**Much love and gratitude, Shelly.**


	18. My Immortal

I had made up my mind when I woke up that I wouldn't "give in" per-say. Just tease him a little. Nothing would go down tonight other than a few kisses. I peeked my head around the corner and saw him nowhere in sight. Well where could the guy go?

"Damned hidden rooms" I murmured under my breath. How big could a warehouse be? With that massive...torture chamber I was forced through yesterday! I huffed and went to go take a shower before he could come out and bug me again.

In the bathroom I glanced in the mirror just to see what face I was making. I wouldn't call myself vain by any means but I would sometimes just stare at my face to see what it did. I very strange thing I used to do as a child was to sit in front of this massive mirror my...fourth family's house I believe. Sure they stared at me as if I was nuts but I was at least amused. Eying my face critically, I touched where dark circles were forming under my eyes from the recent lack of sleep lately. I took a deep breath and let my hair down from it's ponytail, whipping it around for a few seconds before stepping in.

The warm water worked as a makeshift masseuse with my sore muscles from the violent trap yesterday. If today's was just as bad as that one I'd have a conniption. Since I figured he wasn't paying for the water I stayed in there as long as I could.

Once out of the shower, I wrapped myself securely in a towel and peeked out. He was still out of sight. I gathered up my dirty clothes and tip toed out cautiously, looking around like I was on a secret mission or something.

"If this is what I get for sleeping in, I might find myself doing it more often."

I squeaked and hid behind his chair instinctively, like it could help at all. I deep flush was coming around my chin as I wheeled his chair backwards towards my room, using it for shelter. That smug look was smacked across his face again as if it was a permanent fixture.

"Cover your eyes!" I hissed.

"And miss the opportunity to see you in a towel...nah I'm good."

I tried not to break eye contact as I fumbled with the knob behind me. After a few seconds of bungling his grin widened.

"Having trouble with opening a door?"

"Go to hell." I snarled as it came loose. I slammed the door in frustration and whipped off the towel, putting on normal clothes before he could get his security footage up and running. Just as I pulled my shirt on a frustrated groan came from the main room

"HA!" I yelled. "Too slow!" Man, I needed to get a grip if this guy was going to succumb to me and not the other way around. You had to give a little, pull a little.

I inserted the key into door three and came upon a simple room like the first with a table set up in the center. On the table was a strange looking device that looked to be some sort of a child's toy. The only thing from keeping it from being just a metal box was a spinning wheel of letters, all scrambled in some way to spell 'enigma'.

"Do you like it? A new invention of mine. I call it the enigma machine." I looked around. Nope, no projector this time.

"Really ingenious name..." I yelled, turning in around in my hands.

"Yes, well it's still in the experimental stage. Anyway you're going to test it out for me."

"Gee, thanks. It's just what I've always wanted." I sneered.

"You can thank me later for making this so easy. Right now I have business to attend to. Answer the riddles on the back of the machine and bring it back when your done."

I turned the thing around in my hands and eventually saw five riddles on the back. All had been asked to me before, so of course I had all the answers inside my head. But what the hell was this thing supposed to do? I shook it up a bit like you would a present and it rattled.

I figured out that the answers were already incorporated into the machine, you just had to turn the right gears to match the two halves of the word up.

When I marched into the room, my head held high, I was expecting my door to give right in when I pulled the knob, but for some reason it stuck tight. I rattled the knob more and came to the very strange conclusion that it was locked.

"Huh." I simply stared at the knob for the longest time, maybe hoping it would open by my oh so brilliant telekinesis skills.

When that (unfortunately) didn't work, I picked the lock. It wasn't that hard, easier than cracking a safe in my opinion. Wow, I've been hanging out with the wrong crowd.

I left the door ajar when I stepped out. About in the middle of the room I noticed no one was around, no water was going, and there was a very...funny smell wafting around.

I coughed as the strange smelling fume drifted into my nostrils. What-? The room was beginning to distort in front of my widening eyes. I head Eddie's furious outcry but didn't feel any hands. My skin felt all prickly from...something. I squeezed my eyes shut and flexed my muscles to see if it was relieved any. It wasn't.

When my eyes opened again I was in a police station, but it was devoid of color. Where had the room gone? Was I free? Where was Eddie?

Everything was black and white...that was except for a trail of blood. Everything in my body seemed to freeze as my roving view came to Edward's body on the floor, devoid of life.

A strangled cry of "no" left my lips and my legs gave out. The tingling feeling was gone, but I would have given anything for it to be back, it was so much better than not feeling a thing. I crawled over numbly to check his pulse but my touch was only greeted my the fading heat in his body. My head bowed to look into his dull, glassy eyes, a trickle of red coming from his parted lips. I forced my hand to lift his head up from the floor. I felt his hair. The silky texture so like his shirts. A greater pain than anything physical thundered up and down my abdomen, weighting my diaphragm down and making it impossible for regular breaths to come out. Shuddering sobs racked my whole body as the full situation broke through. My brain clouded and all I could think of was how I would never feel any more kisses, no more banter or teasing. No death traps or pervy remarks. I may be free, but everything was so...colorless when I looked at it from this new perspective I seemed to have.

Cradling his lifeless form against me,I did nothing to stifle the flow of tears. I never could have imagined anything like this. Nothing so horrible like the feeling coursing through my body right now. I buried my head into his neck, feeling the last of his heat I would ever feel seep into my forehead. I savored every last second, memorized his scent, pressed it into my brain until it was no more. I rocked him back and forth until it went through my head that he was no longer here. He was somewhere better, where he could openly taunt everyone who had ever called him a moron, solve a million crosswords in a day if he wanted. That made me feel no less pain.

I wanted him, but could never have him now. He was beyond my reach. My blurred vision picked up the small details of everything I wanted to miss. His eyes no longer sparkled with life, the vibrant green now a sage color that had death injected into them. Open lips were made to be almost calling out to somebody unknown. Maybe even to me.

Fresh tears watered in my eyes and I held his body closer. I wanted so badly for the limp arms to wrap around me, to hold me just as close as I was holding him. To stroke my hair and to say that everything was going to be okay...then everything began to fade.

The body in my arms dissolved into nothing and I was all of the sudden clinging to something that was living, breathing and holding me in return. I wasn't the one rocking, the one holding me was. I felt heat, blessed heat through a green jacket.

My lungs shook with fresh breaths as I looked at a very much alive Edward Nigma. Usually I would have pushed him away, exclaiming; 'You tricked me!'

Nope, I just clung on tighter and bawled into his shoulder, letting relief pass through me in a tidal wave of emotion.


	19. Tantalizing

"Crane!" Eddie snapped, still holding onto me. "I thought I told you to lock her door!"

Jonathan Crane came out of a gaping hole in the wall out of the corner of my eye with his eyes narrowed.

"I did. It's not my fault your locks are so weak she could break them on the first try. And next time get a place that isn't so well ventilated for gods sake."

I looked between the two and noticed their lack of breathing protection.

"W-why isn't it affecting y-you?" I shuddered, rubbing my eyes with shaking hands. I flushed and tried to roll out of Edward's lap, but he held me there.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I think I'm getting some distance!" I was the one planning to be in control after all, but I didn't try again to move anyway.

Jonathan cleared his throat and started towards us. "The reason we aren't wearing any masks is because this particular strain of toxin was supposed to only affect female hormones."

I sat up straighter, my temper building along with my posture.

"And you thought you'd use me as a guinea pig?"

"We weren't expecting you to break your door open." Jonathan replied calmly. As he said this he pressed something behind his back making the wall slide shut. Did he think I was stupid?

"Whats in there?" I nodded to the wall over his shoulder.

Edward let go and helped me stand up.

"Nothing you need to worry about." he said, trying to block Jonathan and the wall.

"Don't you give me that!"

I saw the Scarecrow edge out the door behind Eddie and I shot him a glare to which he rolled his eyes to. It wasn't easy scaring the master of fear. I made a note to try harder sometime. No one made me see what I did and get away with it.

"I want to know whats behind that wall." I said, accentuating each word.

Eddie threw his hands up.

"It's just a lab! Not that exciting!"

"Why doesn't he have his own?"

"His warehouse is smaller than mine, why so quizzical today?"

"Do you have a problem with it?" I mimicked.

"Not as long as long as you're mimicking me and not some other guy." He grinned wolfishly.

I didn't think I would look at a male the same way again after this little whoop-Dee-doo. I glanced at the clock nervously, remembering my plan from this morning. I had to wait until night so I could leave him hanging.

"I'll do what I want." I said flippantly. I tossed my hair over my shoulder and strutted away.

"Well look who's all high and mighty after adhering to me like crazy glue."

"I had a moment, and it wasn't my fault." I sniffed.

"What did you see that had your hair on end like that?" He was turned away checking his computer, faking disinterest.

I flashed back to the experience and my arms that were crossed tightly around my torso went limp.

"N-nothing." I muttered softly.

"You will tell me." He said arrogantly.

"Oh will I? Try and make me!" He strode over but I put a hand out. "Not like that, there won't be any manipulating today." Except for you, I thought evilly.

"Is that supposed to stop me?"

I threw my hands up, a large smile on my face for some reason. "You pride yourself on being a gentleman! Why don't you live up to it for once?" Seeming to know just where to prod him, his face turned red.

"I am exactly what I say I am. I gentleman, suave, sophisticated and a genius of Eisenstein proportions. Maybe more when I try."

This guy had enough egotism to fill the continent of Africa and everyone in it. I let my eyes go half lidded and I crossed my arms again, my eyebrows shooting up.

"Do you expect applause?"

"Well some recognition wouldn't go unappreciated" He gave me the big puppy eyes.

Several people have tried to give me the puppy eyes before and it never seemed to affect me. This wasn't any different.

"You're supposed to be giving me this look right now that gives you everything you want, no?"

He nodded and stuck his lip out more sliding and arm around my waist.

"No dice." His pout turned into a grimace and he peeled off his mask.

"You annoy me." he stated.

"The feelings mutual." I spat.

- A FEW HOURS LATER-

I opened my door, the boredom finally getting to me. Eight o clock should be enough time, or it would have to be. My head was pounding hard enought to explode from the anticipation I was going through.

Pursing my lips, I spotted him propped up on the couch, biting on the end of a pencil apparently figuring a crossword. I thought through a quick prayer and sauntered over, sinking down in his lap.

"What the-"

"You want me to move? I said, warning interlacing my tones.

He shut up.

I laid my head on his chest and watched him finish the crossword with ease. It took about five minutes but I wasn't sure if he was showing off or not. I gritted my teeth, not from annoyance this time but with force. I had to hold back if he was to come to me. I felt his steady breathing on my cheek along with the steady thrumming of his heart. The ridiculous thought of 'These really are good shirts.' flashed into my brain. Like that's what I should be thinking of at a time like this. Anyone sane would be thinking of the warm feeling in their stomach or the pounding of his heart with mine. I hadn't looked up for the long time of ten minutes before I glanced up at him.

Of course he had fallen asleep. Just my luck.

I bit my tongue to keep from screaming in frustration and wriggled out from under his arm. Glancing back, I wanted to go wake him up the hard way (the hard way being kissing him to the point of drooling) but when my eyes were met with his sleeping lids, I saw the dark circles under them and took pity.

I lowered myself onto the bed and just sat there, lips pressed sideways in a grimace of disappointment for a few minutes.

Then I picked up a pillow, pressed it to my mouth and screamed like a banshee.


	20. Gasoline

My plan had already been foiled, yes but a new hell was already on the horizon for him. As someone ridiculously famous used to say;

"If at first you don't seduce..." And so I crawled into bed that night with a seed of lustful revenge planted in my head. Those were interesting dreams to say the least.

A couple hours later I was woken my the sound of giggles. I strong emotion was building in my brain as I crept to the door and looked out. Something like a bomb about to go off. What I saw made me want to punch a puppy. The kind with big eyes. And floppy ears. Hard.

Eddie was sitting at his monitors but he looked a bit distracted. Probably because there was a little brunette whore leaning towards him. The ticking time bomb went off like one of Joker's finest explosions! My teeth clenched and my vision blurred. I wanted to rip her limb from limb, have her screams make my ears hurt-

"Ah, Beth!" Came a relieved voice. Eddie tugged me out into the open, his hands on my shoulders as if using me for a shield and obviously not noticing my rage face. Her sharp eyes lingered on my short shorts and the flimsy tank top I had been sleeping in. She looked very well dressed in her navy low cut business suit, she must have been a high class prostitute. Very high class, if I hadn't been so pissed I might have felt self conscious. She strutted towards us with a pitying yet dangerous look on her face.

"Eddie..." She came behind me and hooked her arm around his, tugging him away from me. "Who's this?" My head pounded with fury. That hand along with all it's pretty little fingers were going to get torn off-

"Beth, this is Jessica" He gestured behind with a roll of his eyes, tossing his hand carelessly. I could see he was trying to give me signals that said he was annoyed, but the way she clung onto his arm made up for his negative signals nicely. "We met-"

"At Eddiekin's coming out party daddy threw for him!" She grinned and grabbed his hand.

My mood lightened considerably. That sentence was punishment in it's own. There was still anger, but I pulled a hood of sarcasm over it to see if it would throw her off any.

Oh Eddiekins!" My voice went up several octaves in a mockery of hers as I draped myself around his other side. "I didn't know you had a date! I'll just go wait in _our_ bedroom. Tell me when you're done." I put special emphasis on the word 'our', hoping to confuse the little tramp.

"Excuse me-" She started huffily.

"You're excused." I snapped. I saw Eddie's mouth twitch up for a few seconds in my peripheral vision.

Jessica and I glared at each other for a few seconds. He better not have been enjoying this, but something told me he was having the time of his life behind the serious face.

"I happen to be his girlfriend." She said with a flip of her hair.

Edwards eyebrow raised and he glanced at her. "No you're not..." he snapped.

She fixed him with a meaningful stare, hoping he would help her out. Then she gave up and focused on me once again.

"Well I'm certainly worth more to him than some jealous hooker like you."

That was it. Next thing I knew her perfectly brushed highlights were in my hand and her head was being jerked down to make a sickening _**CRACK**_ on the floor. She barely had time to start squealing in pain from that before my fist collided with her nose. I felt the sickly satisfying snap of cartilage on my knuckles and the soft spurt of blood. I didn't care Edward was laughing softly while trying to drag me off of her, all I knew was that I wanted to peel her like a grape and set what was left on fire! I struggled and screamed and fought and elbowed at her, but Edward was evading my escape tactics way too well for my liking.

"You're paying for my new nose job you bitch!" And she limped out the door, taking the gag-worthy scent of Chanel no. 5 with her.

"Yeah try and come back so I can break both your fucking legs!" I screeched after her and went limp with Edward holding my waist. I didn't know you could tear up with rage, but I'd be damned if I didn't let a few slip out. My breathing steadied and I involuntarily leaned into him. I knew I could fight like that, but not at that level of...possessiveness.

"I suppose I should thank you." He said from over my shoulder. "I've been wanting to do that for months. Warn me next time and I'll let you borrow my cane."

"Oh, a high honor indeed." I said paying little attention. The one thing that had shot through my mind before attacking was 'he's mine'. I almost reprimanded myself. You couldn't just tag someone for your own, could you? An idea came to mind causing a smug smile to don my mouth.

And it would go along with my plan for this evening too. I twisted out of his grip and started ruffling through the drawers of his desk.

"Hey! What are you-" My hand came up with the key ring and I plucked number five off, missing four on purpose.

"I passed." Tossing the keys at him I quickly made for my room in hopes of him not noticing I had purposely skipped one. I was going to get this over with soon.

Before going in my door I saw he had sat back down and lit a cigarette. Oh, that dirty habit just bugged me to no end, the smell always made me retch. The keys were already put away, so I figured it was safe to antagonize him a little!

"Get that-" I plucked it from his lips then noticed there wasn't any smell. I looked closer at it, puzzled.

"It's a n e-cigarette." He said, snatching it back. "It helps me quit."

"But how?"

"There isn't any tobacco, I exhale water vapor and I still get my nicotine fix." He talked as if I were a five year old learning to brush my teeth for the first time. I didn't quite know what to say. My head tilted as I watched him put it back in his mouth. For some reason I found myself studying the curve of his lips, making me want to kiss him twice as hard. I took the cigarette between my index and middle finger and slipped it out again.

"You have nothing to worry about, it has a freaking battery-" My kiss lasted for only five seconds but it was just to get the yearning down to a bare minimum. He hadn't been lying because he didn't taste like cigarettes at all. I broke away and placed it back in his mouth.

"Don't smoke during the previews!" and I turned to walk into my room with a wink.


	21. Never Think

"For your uh...today's challenge-"I beamed up at the stuttering Riddler on the screen tossing the key into the air.

"Flustered, sweetheart?" I asked innocently. I was in a pretty damn good mood. I had whipped a bitch's ass, breaking her nose in the process and made the god-damn Riddler lose his senses all in one day. And I hadn't even had breakfast.

He shot me a don't-push-your-luck look. "You wish. Today I'm going to really get to know you better by having you introduce me to your parents." To say I was caught off guard would have been an understatement worthy of death. I stopped the key as his face returned to his usual smirk.

"Who cares?"

"I do" He raised an eyebrow as if daring me to say something.

"I-I don't even know where to start!"

"Start at the beginning, it's a very good place to start."

"That musical was gay." I muttered.

He took on a suddenly flirtatious grin "If you want too get to the main event, you'll have to get past the previews first."

I growled. "You're the one's that's going to have to wait!"

"Do I look like the desperate one here?"

"I'm not desperate!" Well I was going to sound like it if I kept screaming.

"Sure, come prove that when you're done, sweetheart." The screen clicked off.

A strange gargling noise rose out of my throat in rage. I would show him!

The current room a had a huge computer that looked good enough to be in one of those really high tech crime shows that made police work seem exciting and advanced...yeah those shows were bogus.

My last name, Zaney, had to be at the bottom at everything (at least when it was alphabetical) so, start from the bottom up I say.

I had to say, if I had to find my birth parents, this computer was the thing to work with. Skimming through the adoption records from my first orphanage, I wondered why I hadn't ever tried to find them before. I never really wanted the love of anybody, always being a loner and all, but I guess I had a right to be a little curious, even if I had never let it show that I wanted the know. Were they rich? Were they nice? Maybe friends with somebody important. Why did they give me up? Would they want to meet me?

"Heeeere we go." I came upon my old file and clicked into it.

Date of Admission: December 17,1989

Stay: Temporary

I snorted. Temporary if they meant until I was three.

Age: 1 yr.

Name: Bethany Zaney

Known Relatives: N/A

Date of Adoption: 1991

Of course, this is too easy. My mouth set in a grim line as I realized I didn't even know which hospital I was born. No one would have packed my birth certificate when they brought my stuff over so I just googled my name. I grinned and clicked on a record from a hospital, the system already neatly hacked for me.

"Why thank you mister Riddler computer." I grinned as I clicked on the link.

"You're very welcome." It said matter of factly back. I jumped and eyes it cautiously as the page loaded.

"Am I the droid you are looking for?"

"You are not the droid I am looking for." My hands clapped together and I giggled ridiculously like a five year old. When the page loaded I glanced down.

Name: Elizabeth Nichole

Alias: Bethany Zaney

My eyes bugged out as I stared at the screen. I had been living under a fake name my whole life? Elizabeth...Lizzy? Liz? Did I look like a Liz? More importantly, why had I been checked in with a fake name in the first place?

'They didn't want me to find them.' I thought grimly.

I licked my lips nervously and scrolled down slowly, not wanting to find any more unwelcome information about myself.

Mother: Stephanie Kyle; Age: 17

Father: Brandon Nichole; Age: 20

Out of wedlock. It figured really, who wanted a happy home life? I sure as hell never have one.

There weren't any pictures, but I wanted to see who I looked like. They gave me up under an assumed name because they didn't want anyone to find out about the pregnancy. Daddy dear would have been thrown in jail for harassing a minor. I pursed my lips and blinked away a few tears. Who was I? This 'finding who you are' crap was supposed to have passed with puberty. No, I find out I was the outcome of a hidden scandal with a completely different name. I hit print and rushed out to get the machine before he could.

I ran right into him in my rush.

"You ready?" He smirked. I didn't even dignify that with an answer as I wiggled out and ran flat out to the copy machine.

"I take that as a no." He huffed.

I shoved the papers in his face and smeared them around like a freaking cheerleader.

"I got them, I got them!" I chanted.

He stumbled back and snatched the papers away, putting them aside on his desk.

"I'll review them later, what were you getting at earlier now?"His arms slipped around my waist and part of me wanted to encourage them but a more sensible half said to research more, seduce later. I pressed my hand against his mouth.

"I want to see their pictures." He heaved a sigh and went to his computers. Professional eyes glanced at the papers I had found and within a few seconds he had their pictures pulled up, much to my surprise.

My mother had pixie cut brown hair, soft blue eyes and a sort of short stature. I could see she was a pretty, but large, Harry Potter glasses acted like a mask. My father wasn't much different. He had rather long, extremely platinum blonde hair, nowhere near as dirty blonde as mine. I had his eyes and jawline but he needed glasses too. His were the big kind you saw in the 80's a lot.

"What site are you finding this on?" I clicked away from the google images results.

"Ah!" He lurched for the mouse but I had already seen the obituary page.

My eyes went glassy reading the article. A car crash, the night they had dropped me off. The same day they were going to elope. My knees gave out and I sat down in the first possible thing, his lap. I put my head in my hands as the revelation that they hadn't knowingly abandoned me at all crashed down. A small piece of information I hadn't understood a few minutes ago slithered into it's space.

Stay: temporary

They were going to go get married, then come back for me. I took an unsteady breath and leaned back, curling up into his chest.

"They were going to come back for me." I whispered hoarsely. The circles he was rubbing on my back soothed me somewhat, but I was a few worlds away from fleeing anything.

"I would have wanted your parents." His jaw was firmly set like he was trying to hold something back. He usually looked so...sure of himself, but I could see I had played on a nerve. A rather large nerve.

"They were gone my whole life-"

"I wish mine had been gone!"

I bit my lip, remembering his background.

"I'm sorry..."

"Yeah...so am I."


	22. So Sorry Mama

Snuggled in his arms would have been a perfect time to strike. He was emotionally weak but the downside is that I was as well. Just figuring out the life you almost had could do that to a girl

I didn't know the reason for the car crash, maybe I didn't want to. Who's personality did I get? Where did my smarts come from? I needed to get my mind off all this before my brain ruptured.

"Why do you always wear a mask?"

"...why?"

"I was just wondering." I studied him and the perplexed look he was giving me. When I didn't get a reply, I peeled his mask off and pout it on. It was strange feeling, the material clung to your face like it was part of it, but when you reached up to touch the mask, it didn't feel like the surrounding skin.

"I ah...guess it's just comfortable, now give it back!" I slapped his hand away with a small smile playing around my mouth.

I got off his lap, trying to regain some feeling back into my legs and shuffled into my room. Hearing him huff from the next room I smirked. Maybe I wouldn't do it tonight, maybe I should wait- before I could finish the thought my eyes spotted a tube of lipstick lying on the ground. I raised my eyebrow. Did I have one that color? Did I have any at all? After picking it up, I removed the cap and twisted it up. An alluring light pink color. I wasn't usually one for makeup, but this tone was just so vibrant. I didn't remember buying this...well it had to be mine, he wasn't harboring other women in here. Hopefully.

Going up to a mirror on the dresser, I smeared some on to test the color, my eyes widened. I dropped the lipstick and doubled over, not from pain but lust. Severe, unrequited lust. This was bad, very, very bad. Ivy must have "dropped" something when she was last over here. My fingers bent into claw like shapes, and I bent my head as something took control of my brain.

"G-good grief" I stumbled backward, my hand dragging along the shelf, knocking a few things over accidentally.

"Beth? Whats going on in there?"

My mouth watered at the sound of his voice as I narrowed my eyes.

'Oh no, not him, no way in hell.' But I was already targeting where he was from the sound of his voice. Like a lioness ready to pounce I flung the door wide. He yanked his eyebrow up, a hand raised to knock again. He took in my disheveled state, hair in my eyes and a feral expression on my face causing his other eyebrow to raise.

"What on earth happened to y-

I was such a fucking idiot.

In less than a second I was pressed against him. Staring up into his divine features, I let it sink in how close our faces were before crushing my lips to his, desperate for contact.

He didn't react for a few seconds, then his arms were around me, pulling me to him tighter. I let my fingers tangle themselves thoroughly in his auburn locks and tug gently, causing a guttural growl to come from his mouth and into mine.

Another blinding surge of lust made itself known as my lower back collided with his desk. The keyboard was hurriedly pushed aside to make room for me when the whole room tilted a very strange fashion. Our breaths grew heavier at the prospect of what the hell was going to happen sunk in. I still felt the need to tease him just a bit, I was only human. And right now this human was feeling uncharacteristically...horny?

I pulled my lips away, gasping for air as I slid my hands slowly down his black silk shirt.

"How long has it been, Eddie?" I whispered into his ear breathlessly. "One?" The first button. "Two?" The second. "Three years or more?" My hands were unsure, but they continued down leaving a trail of bare skin behind. I let my hands wander around his warm waist, taking in flesh I hand never experienced.

I peeked up and grinned at the look he was giving me. The teasing seemed to bounce right off him in this state. His eyes shot through mine with an intensity that left my already empty lungs flat as my heart seemed to expand. I stared up, mesmerized at the way they seemed to sparkle at the tiniest glimpse of light and still be as hard as brick, always calculating, always observing. My head lolled sideways when I felt something pass through me, like I was a crumbling wall almost. Every nerve in my body was amplified to the point of if he were to touch any bare skin on me, it would feel like something twice as intimate. My head was pressed into a screen as he lurched forward to kiss me again. His hand ascended my thigh, causing a moan to involuntarily slip out.

A truly wicked smirk came into play as he bent his head to my throat, letting his teeth scrape down to my collarbone. I clenched my jaw shut too keep from exclaiming again when the tip of his tongue slid over the thin flesh at the nape, nipping at just the right points to make the feeling in my stomach tighten. The hand previously on my thigh rode under my shirt, resting on my hip. I felt his fingers flex, pressing into the skin on my waist for a nanosecond. A small explosion took place in my brain, causing me to jolt forward and yelp violently at the sensation zinging through my hips. My head rolled this way and that as his lips set to work on my neck again.

Everything seemed in tilt a whirl vision for a second, then I was pressed against a brick wall, my legs wrapped around his waist for support as he knocked on a few, kissing me so passionately I was surprised I could coherently form thoughts together. The wall caved in behind me but my fall was cushioned by what could only be his personal bed.

I was going to kill Ivy in the morning.


	23. Strange

The next morning I was woken by something very alien to me as of this week. Sunlight. I hadn't opened my eyes but I could sense the dim red glow seeping through my lids. He must have the best view of the Gotham bridge and river. My body was curled up against his, our legs intertwined and my head on his chest. I shivered as last night flashed back. Great god what had I done? No, it was all Ivy's fault, I had nothing to do with this.

Cracking an eye open, I blinked at the brightness of the natural light filling the room. I licked my lips with chagrin, tasting to see if the makeup was off.

'She's going to pay' I thought to myself weakly. Even if I was trying to be mad, the inevitable bliss soaked through. The smile playing around my mouth was urged forward by the sunshine streaming through the window.

I lifted my head and looked around groggily. The place was pretty well furnished for a villain on the run, better furnished than anywhere I had been able to stay when I was on the right side of the law. It looked like some high priced condo in New York. Really, a wrap around couch, double sided fireplace that could also be viewed from the bathroom, plasma screens and a very professional looking kitchen. All of course in green and purple.

"Who says crime doesn't pay?" I muttered.

The body next to me shifted onto it's side, and I looked down.

I hadn't really had time to look him over last night, being occupied by something...else. The guy wasn't scrawny like scarecrow, but he wasn't exactly build either. A small amount of muscle was there, just visible but most of the attention was drawn to the large, dark green question mark tattooed around his right pectoral and going down to the middle of his stomach. How had I not noticed that last night?

Oh god...where were my clothes? The first piece I saw wearable was his shirt. Cliché, but effective in my opinion, so I slipped it on over my head. Spotting a door on the far side of the room, I grinned and creeped over. I found it was unlocked. Since we were on the riverfront, a smell of soiled water lingered in the air. The sun was rising over the horizon and I sighed contentedly, bending my head back to relish the light breeze feathering across my skin.

'Such a nice scene' I thought to myself, soaking up the vitamin D as I leaned against the door frame.

I could escape. Run to the police and tell them exactly where he was and what he put me though. He knew I wouldn't and so did I. Something held me back, like I was trapped in a cage, I wanted to get away, always clawing at the bars but the monster in the shadowed corners was sucking me in, seducing and drawing me into a snare.

Three more challenges left and I would be free to go. But did I really want to? A tingling sensation passed through my stomach as I looked back at Edward in the bed. I had just slept with the same person who had kidnapped me, and kept me against my will. Studying his face, I had to wonder if he was the real monster, or if (as usual) society was to blame. My eyes went over the sun pooling in the covers, like the light had turned to liquid. I never had this in the outside world.

I took another look at the horizon line, pursed my lips and closed the door quietly. I was staying.

Walking over, I exhaled softly as his arms automatically wrapped around me when I got into bed. I detected a change in his breathing and sat as still as I possibly could, pretending to be asleep.

I felt him tighten around me, pulling me up so that his lips were hovering over my ear.

"I know you're awake" he whispered.

"So whats it to you?" I grinned up, not feeling like getting in a fight today.

"Well 'it' was a whole lot to me last night..."

"Shut up, that wasn't me" I murmured, embarrassed into his shoulder.

"Riddle me this!" Ugh, I shouldn't have woken him. "What has blonde hair, green eyes and was moaning like she had been possessed underneath me last night."

My face exploded with color.

"I-I d-didn't-"

"Oh yes you did! You know, you're more mouthy in bed as you are regularly, and I mean that in more ways than one."

"I-I ought to smack you so hard." I spat.

"Aw, was it not hard enough?" He looked quite happy with himself.

"Y-you-" I smacked him on his chest lightly, it was suddenly way too hot in here.

"So you didn't enjoy it? That's certainly not the message I was getting." He was barely containing a grin. I couldn't think of anything else to say so;

"S-shut up." I grumbled again.

"You know I'm magnificent in bed!" Really, he would be the one to pat himself on the back...well if you can't fight 'em, join 'em.

"Yeah, that's why you lasted less than an hour."

His face reddened.

"It was that drugged lipstick! You go on and on about how I drugged you, well you're guilty of the same thing!"

He had sat up and was crossing his arms, pouting like a three year old. I could change that soon enough. Smirking, I undid the top three buttons of his shirt and wrapped around his back, laying my hands on his shoulders. Hell, I could be evil whenever I felt like it now.

"I didn't like being drugged as much as you did." I purred. His spine snapped up as my mouth pressed against his upper back, hands going up into his hair.

"I-I er..." He was trying to resist. That was cute.

"Oh lets stay on track here, Eddie. You're going to cave to me this time."

"I wouldn't be too sure, sweetheart." He twisted around and dragged me into his lap. That wasn't a good sign.

"The Riddler gives in to no one"

Abort! Abort! I swerved away and-

"EDWARD!" The side door I had just been in slammed open. In it's wake was a short man with platinum blonde hair and a very tall top hat. I guess all his friends were good dressers too. Bright blue eyes focused on me pretty much straddling Eddie in bed, barely keeping his shirt on. I struggled to get off and buttoned the shirt up more, flushing in the awkward situation.

"Alice?"


	24. You Give Love a Bad Name

Edward gritted his teeth in annoyance and yanked the sheets up to cover us more as the smaller man's eyes widened.

"Tetch, don't you dare." Eddie snapped.

"B-but Edward, what are you doing with Alice? She's supposed to be in wonderland!"

I shrunk back a little at the look the blonde was giving me. Like I was something to be worshiped.

Eddie chuckled and leaned back. "I think she was there last night." Oh he just had no boundaries didn't he? I face palmed when I saw the look on the guy's face. "Ah yes," Eddie rolled his eyes "Jervis, Beth. Beth, Jervis."

Jervis eyeballed me like he was seeing everything beautiful for the first time.

"No, Alice has to come with me." he started for the bed and Edward was in front of me in an instant.

"_Beth, _isn't going anywhere with you." The way the light left Jervis's face made me feel like an ass. It was like I had just taken candy from a baby.

"Aw, Eddie let him say hi." I hissed to him. I was a sucker for the cute kind of kids, other ones that just begged for attention however made me want to literally strangle them into two pieces.

"You don't know what he does to his Alice's." Eddie looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes raging with passion. I stiffened as it clicked where I had seen the guy before, he was the-

"Mad Hatter, at your service, my dear." God, where had he come from? One second he was by the door and the next he was kneeling at my bedside.

"Uh...pleasure?" I said awkwardly. He looked between me and Edward for a few seconds, a very uncomfortable silence permeating the atmosphere.  
>"Alice...why are you wearing his clothes?"<br>"She's not-!"

"Edward how could you do this to my Alice?" Jervis's eyes started to water up, confirming to me that he was in fact, completely off his rocker. I actually began to feel nervous when he gripped my arm and jerked me towards the other side of the bed. He was stronger than you thought a little guy would be! "Alice please tell Mr. Nigma that you wish to come to Wonderland with me." My answer was simply the wiggling of my fingers which were starting to tingle from the loss of blood to them. Eddie's eyes took on a rather protective look, but him being...him he went smooth instead of going off.

"I believe," He said calmly, prying off the other man's fingers and pulling me closer to his bare chest "that Alice found enough of Wonderland with me last night." Jervis's eyes bugged out in shock, I could almost feel the smugness rolling off the chest I was pressed against. I couldn't say that I wanted to find "Wonderland" with this other guy, so I just leaned back without a word, trying to ignore a the rush of blood throbbing in my face.

Jervis stuck out his lower lip and ran his eyes over us draped over each other in bed.

"I implore you to leave off at once!" He snapped. Well that only encouraged Edward.

He brought his hand up to my chin and leaned my head back into his shoulder, craning to kiss me slowly, like he was flaunting something. Well I was something to flaunt of course!  
>"I-I-I" Tetch sputtered. I kind of felt bad for the guy but I was pretty sure he tried to rape me so...I did nothing to stop or encourage the blatant display of affection.<p>

"Riddle me this Tetch, where is Wonderland?" He mumbled against my lips. "Find your own Alice."

And with that, Jervis puffed out his chest and huffed from the room. I guess a little went a long way with him.

I broke away after the door had closed and giggled.

"Why Eddie, I believe you care." I said, sliding out of bed to find one of my own articles of clothing. I heard a small whining sound and looked back to see him giving me the puppy eyes

"Why are you getting out of bed?" He asked, his lower lip jutting.

"To...get...dressed?" I answered hesitantly. God- those puppy eyes should be illegal! Considering who they were coming from they probably were!

"You don't like my shirt on you? I certainly do." Well, so much for the adorableness. Riddler was back.

"Why should I give you a free show?" I sighed.

"Because I deserve it!" He sounded surprised a human would ask that at all.

"What did you- never mind don't answer that." I was going to ask him 'What did you do?' but then figured on the endless numbers of comments he could respond back with.

His usual smirk was back and better than ever. "I don't have to say anything, I'm sure you remember well enough." As soon as we were alone he was tormenting me! I was just thinking of how to word my answer that I was staying, but did I want a bunch of this crap flying in my direction every day? I didn't trust even myself to answer that one.

"You making me think twice about-" I began warningly.

"About taking that shirt off? Then by all means I'll shut up." I grimaced at him, he was only digging himself a deeper grave after all.

"You make me want to bang my head against a brick wall." I stated sarcastically sweet.

"Well it certainly wouldn't be the first time something of yours got banged into a brick wall because of me." I walked right into that one didn't I? But that was it!

"LET ME TALK" I screamed, finally getting fed up. And he was silent. I stood up a bit taller, proud that I got possibly the most annoying man in the world to shut up...then I sunk back down because of the shirt riding up.

"You're making me think twice about staying!" I finished firmly. His eyes got as wide as dinner plates as I thought briefly whether or not I just gave up my best weapon. Next thing I knew he was pinning my arms in a snuggle that would have knocked the breath out of Godzilla and all the rest of Hong Kong.

"You're staying!" He twirled me in a circle as my face began to sweat from how much I was flushing.

"I-I y-your making me think tw-" But I never got the whole phrase out before he was rambling on again.

"We have to celebrate! That little Italian place on nineteenth street would do nicely. You like Italian don't you? Good Ill get dressed! Then off he went into the bathroom (to get some clothes on thank god).

Well that went over well. I looked towards the door and shook my head. A bat could simply walk in here without a care in the world. With that thought in mind I went over, locked in then reset the alarms. I guess I did need those new clothes after all.


	25. Tomorrow

A knock upon the commissioner's door snapped him out of a trance he had been in previously, pouring over the numerous amount of cases that had been piling up the past week. At least half were from Joker, one fourth from Penguin and Mr. Freeze teaming up (which made sense if you thought about it) and all the rest a combination of Two Face, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow. Yeah, it had been hell for the police force since the breakout, it seemed like every nut in the city had come to celebrate their new found freedom by killing sprees and elaborate traps set up everywhere. He tried to recall which he was forgetting as he looked in his empty coffee cup.

"Come in." He called out sleepily.

"We have a new development on the Riddler case sir." came a voice from...outside his window?

"What the-" In his hurry to turn his chair round it tipped over, sending the man sprawling on the ground. A green gloved hand assisted him back into his seat apologetically.

"S-sorry." Robin muttered.

Gordon rubbed his head and grimaced at the sleepiness still tugging at his eyelids. It was too late at night for this sort of thing, did they ever close their eyes once?

"You were saying something?" he grumbled, retrieving his glasses from the desk beside him*

"Yes sir, Batman wants to move in on the hostage situation tomorrow."

"Which one?" Gordon snorted. There were many more than there needed to be.

"Nigma's." he replied. The commissioner nodded wearily and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What time?"

"Around nine. He sleeps in late most of the time."

"We'll be there, how many men?" Turning to make a note, he waited for the answer but it never came. He glanced towards the window ruefully.

"It's like a cult."


	26. Somethings Coming

I had to take a shower of course, last night had left me feeling a little dirty in more ways than one. It looked like he had claimed it first though (a pity, if he had asked nicely we could have shared one) and since there was a nicer one in here, I could wait. Of course he took the longest showers ever, so I went to go scrounge in his kitchen. I settled on an apple, it kept the doctor away.

Feeling evil, I looked around the room and sneaked over to his desk. Snooping got me no where but trouble last time, but now I knew what to do. Just sleep with the guy and all was forgiven. There were scraps of paper around, just like his cell had been situated. In the center of it all was a mug with a question mark on it, a spare mask and most interesting of all, a copy of a magazine labeled '_CRIME', _almost like a spinoff of _TIME. _I raised my eyebrow and saw who was on the cover, underneath Edward dressed in his finest was the headline;

_Edward Nigma_

_Righteous Riddler_

_What is his next cynical conundrum?_

'Cynical, indeed.' I thought as the shower switched off. Well I wanted a subscription to this! My eyes went half lidded when whistling started from the shower room. I was going to tempt him as much as I damn well could! His reaction was priceless after all.

Before he was out, I popped on the mask and sat down in his chair, propping my legs up on the table, figuring the extra bit of leg showing would bring him to his knees.

When he did finally appear from the steamy door way, towel draped around his waist and wet hair clinging to his forehead, I was flipping through the magazine. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see his mouth drop in astonishment for a second then click shut.

"Enjoying the view?" I simpered, mentally admiring the tattoo again.

"Just as long as you are."

"Indeed, I'm taking a shower next." I announced, swinging my legs up and over the desk, hurrying towards the now empty room.

"I'll alert the media...have you been in my desk?"

"I need to go get shower stuff!" I yelped, scurrying out of the room. When I had picked up my stuff I made a dash for the open doorway to the shower but was blocked by an arm.

"Need a hand?" He whispered in my ear.

"You missed your chance." I grinned, ducking under his arm and slamming the door behind me. Home free.

After the shower was wardrobe of course, I was really grateful Harley and Ivy had gone shopping for me since they seemed to know what they were doing. A green tank top with blue skinny jeans...I was a jeans and tee sort of girl, who cared about clothes as long as the covered you really.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

On the same roof that Beth and the Riddler were currently standing under, a troop of bats waited for their head to give the word.

"It's past noon, when is this gonna happen?" Nightwing snapped, tapping his foot impatiently. "And why are we out in broad daylight I thought he was one of the undead?"

Out of annoyance, Batgirl gave him a cold slap across the face.

"Will you shut up! I want to get this over with just as much as you do!"

All was silent then until the radio finally snapped on.

"Move in. And be careful."

The two lowered themselves down onto the pavement, looking for a possible entrance. They had spotted a side door with a car parked out front when Riddler and his hostage stumbled out. Nightwing quickly grabbed Batgirl into the shadows before they were caught and watched them drive away solemnly.

Barbra launched a small tracking device onto the bumper and rushed over to an alley where three police cars were waiting to be called in. She handed the screen to Gordon, instructing him to follow that, and move in when ready.

The two watched the squad drive away silently.

"He wouldn't like if you did that without him knowing." Nightwing smirked.

"Maybe he doesn't always know best."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

At the restaurant, Edward and I were seated in "his usual seat". A small booth in the corner, he had to keep a low profile of course. I wasn't sure if the head chief was waiting on us because Eddie was a regular, or if he was scared someone would get the order wrong. Either way it was great service. All this time a strange throbbing feeling had been bothering me, and I didn't want to think of what images I might dream up if I let my mind wander at the moment. My face was already red enough to fry an egg. I slid into a corner and hoped he wouldn't act on anything, I wouldn't be able to resist in this state...but of course he had to. I don't know what was making me this damn horny, but something had to be done about it, I thought as I tapped my fist on the table impatiently.

I glanced over beside me and saw the very, very evil expression. He had figured it out. That's it, I was toast. At least I felt like it in this room, they needed to turn down the heat! Even though I was staring blankly at the wall, I still felt him slide closer, trapping me against said wall and him.

"Is someone getting aroused? He purred softly, sliding his hand into mine and massaging soft circles into the back of it. If I was going to react this way to the simplest of touches...well this wasn't going to turn out well. My mind went dead as his lips hovered millimeters away from my ear, brushing my lobe with he spoke.

"You want to be sprawled underneath me," He whispered. My eyes widened and I felt something quiver inside me, like every syllable put me under a spell. I snapped my eyes shut, as if the fact that I couldn't see anything would make me invisible to the outside world as well. I felt him brush my hair aside that I was trying to hide my face with. I tried to steady my breathing, which was coming out in soft gasps and I felt his hand turn my face up to him. I refused to open my eyes still.

"You want to be writhing, clutching the bedpost above you and locking your legs around my back in unexplainable delight as I rock against you." Well there went my free will. I don't think I would have minded in the least if he bent me over this goddam table right n-

"FREEZE" My eyes snapped open in panic at the suddenness of the voice. Five police officers were standing around the table, all guns pointing to us, I felt the urge to shield him from them, like I was going to panic if one for them made a move for the trigger.

"RELEASE YOUR HOSTAGE!" He lifted his hands over his head slowly and rose out of the seat to give me access. Gordon held his hand out to assist me. But I didn't want to go!I wanted to-

I surveyed the situation closely, already forming a plan. Yes...perfect set up.

My eyes got clenched shut to make them seem watery as I flung myself at the commissioner, sobbing into his shoulder dramatically.

"Y-you don't know what he's d-done to me!" I gasped. A blanket was lifted over my excessively spasmodic shoulders, as if that would help.

"You're safe now, we've got you." Gordon comforted, patting my head and handing me off to a medical officer.

"Wait." I sniffed. Might as well play this up as much as possible I thought, so I whirled around and gave Edward a hard slap to the cheek. His unmasked eyes turned back after the shock had worn off and I felt the wind go out of me. They were swimming with tears of..._hate_. I opened my mouth, real liquid emotion forming in mine now as I realized he didn't get that this was a hoax. He thought I was betraying him, that I had lied and maybe that I had even lured him here.

"Okay, break it up." A woman in blue whirled Edward around and slammed him on the desk, handcuffing him and hustling him out the door. He didn't look at me once. Everything glazed over as I was helped into a car and taken into the police station for questioning. This plan had to work.


	27. Moonlight Serenade

Once in the Commissioner's office, I was immediately given the best seat there. They were trying to help me feel comfortable, but I felt nothing but a dreadful emptiness. I couldn't think straight, guilt was clouding my mind. Was it all worth it?

'Of course it was!' I snapped to myself harshly. 'you did this for him!' I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed the emotion as far back as I could when Gordon swung the door open. Pulling up a chair, he sat next to me with a pitying expression. I suppose I did look pretty...helpless curled up in a blanket with my eyes overflowing.

"Bethany...this is going to be a stupid question but, do you want to press charges?"

I clenched my teeth together, causing some more tears to but pushed over the edge.

"Everything possible, I was forced down on his head." My voice broke at the end, but I'm pretty sure he thought it was a different reason.

"Okay." He patted my tight fists lying in my lap and sighed. "You realize, he won't get incarcerated for this...he'll be sent back to Arkham. Now...I realize you might be a little wary of the place now, so I'm offering you a place on my squad."

I tilted my head down and nodded, shaking as more "shock" trembled through me. He saw I was losing it and handed me a cup of hot chocolate, closing the door after him. My face composed itself again and I looked stonily into a the beverage, sneering. Thanks a lot, hot chocolate made everything better, sure. Even though I was tempted to hurl the cup across the room, my attention was diverted to commotion outside. I snuck over to the door and cracked the shades in time to see a mass of burly guards dragging Eddie into the interrogation room.

"Get a tranquilizer! The guys insane!" one shouted.

"No!" Edward screamed, struggling against the half dozen officers. "That would imply either mental illness or derangement! I suffer from neither!" At that point he was stuffed through the door, arms flailing, trying to get free. A lump forced it's way into my throat. If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be in here. He wouldn't be getting sedated like some kind of wild animal. I sank down the rest of the way and furled my legs up to my chin.

"He doesn't care about you." I winced in surprise at the dark voice. Of course he was here.

"Y-you don't know a thing about us." I growled, sitting up in a facade to look stronger.

"I know enough about him to say that he's not to be trusted."

"Yeah well...that's your opinion."

"...You're choice. But just remember who you're dealing with. Edward Nigma and not some romantic lovesick schoolboy, he's dangerous. So before you go pledging yourself, think first about his certain method of getting you to himself...he did take you against your will."

"I don't-" I started, my head jolting up to confront him. But he was gone with the billowing of the curtains. Of course.

Two more unhelpful cups of hot chocolate later, Gordon drive me to my old apartment with the promise of a trial in the morning and to be ready to consult the assigned lawyer. I really didn't care, but that would have given me away. You had to bide your time in these situations.

When I shuffled into my apartment it was the same as I had left it. Messy, boring, average pretty much described it. There wasn't any good food, the wallpaper was peeling and my clothes had spider webs on them. I sunk onto the bed and felt rock hardness in the mattress. It was like he had spoiled me or something. My lip quivered as I realized I missed his constant snarky comments. I missed his mood swings, his bed, his funny little chuckle when anyone said something stupid. I curled up in the crappy blankets and wrapped my arms around myself in sudden loneliness. I missed him.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Everything was hazy...I couldn't put anything together. My hands were bound to a chair, I couldn't move in the least. Of course I was dreaming, I had no recollection of ever being dragged here. A dark fog clogged my vision, and if it was in real life, it would have made me choke.

But now there was a figure coming towards me, stalking forward in the mist. He should have been visible by now, but somehow he wasn't. Everything about him screamed Edward, but his face was in shadow. The smell, his clothes, how he carried himself and what his voice sounded like. God I missed it. Even if his face somehow remained in shadow as he knelt forward, our faces now at the same height, there was something different. A darkness I wasn't annoyed with but more...scared of. A soft instrumental piece I recognized by Glenn Miller played in the background, accented by his dress. Almost like in the thirties kind of style. His suit a dark beryl, set off by the soft golden glow of his cane by his side. Eyes that should have been his emerald were a frightening dark ocean blue, burning like a lit beach scene at midnight. The color drew one in, making me think it was safe and then he stands up, going to lurk behind the chair. I wasn't even aware that he was right next to my ear until he whispered to me.

"You stole from me you know..." He growled slowly, his voice laced with the same darkness that was luring me in. I opened my mouth to protest, to say that I never stole anything but before a single word left my mouth he spun the chair around and gave me a bruising kiss, much unlike the forcefully teasing ones from earlier days. This left me wincing but in need of more when he broke away."You took it right from my chest!" My eyes grew larger as I realized what he was talking about. Once again, I prepared to speak but was interrupted with a single finger on my lips.

"Riddle me this! If you break me I do not stop working, if you touch me I may be snared, if you lose me nothing will matter." Here he paused letting me work it out. Water pooled up in my eyes as I quickly figured the riddle out. But I couldn't speak. I was stunned.

"Get it yet?" He snapped, I couldn't see his face still, but I knew it was twisted up in rage. At me! "My heart!" In one quick motion he unsheathed a sword from his cane and buried it into my chest, piercing my heart.

I jolted up in bed, feeling a massive shock wave of panic roll through me. It was stuffy in my bedroom, the windows shut and the resulting beads of sweat grasping my forehead made everything in the dream seem twice as frightening. I let out a half sob of terror, the other half dedicated to annoyance. God I would be so glad the day of the trial. This damn guilt would hopefully stop pestering me then.


	28. So this is Love

I might have been running on five hours of sleep but hell, that was what caffeine was for. Thank god for Mountain Dew. From the moment of opening my eyes my head was in overdrive. I had to get my mind off the trial somehow. So, being the rational thinker I was, I figured what better distraction than some help? If things were to go according to plan I needed some backup. Maybe Harley or Ivy? Even Selena, as soon as she came to mind I scratched it. I heard she had often worked with the bat, and that was the last thing I needed. Cops fit into that category as well.

Then again I guess I was just lucky that Gordon didn't have a watch on me.

Of course as soon as I thought that I looked out the window and saw an unmarked car outside, lurking. I noticed a young officer in the front seat with some coffee reading the comics section. He glanced up and met my eyes with a wink before turning the paper over and reading the opposite side. I mentally gagged. Screw that, I needed to get to the hideout! All my stuff was there, and I _needed _my stuff if this was going to go down.

Hmm, young officer winking at me...with a working car. I simpered back at him when he looked up at my window once more. I was about to go Poison Ivy on his ass.

All my good clothes were at home, not this dingy little crap hole. I wrapped my arms around myself shivering in the loneliness. Then my training kicked in.

I wasn't some damsel in distress!

Edward was attracted to me, I couldn't have been that bad. "Look at the sexual assets" I thought, studying myself in the mirror. Legs, hip, bust, and waist is what they seemed to look at the most. Mine seemed to be all right, if it was good enough for Eddie, it was good enough for the...person...outside. Some shorts and a tank should do the job nicely.

Once I was cleaned up enough with the available soaps in the apartment (like I said everything was over at his place) I sauntered outside and knocked on his window. I might have been overdoing it, nope, no such thing as a better over achiever.

Bending over, I purred into the open window. "Give a girl a ride?"

Once at the hideout I made a mental note to tighten security...by a lot. It didn't take much for me to get in, all you had to do was answer a couple riddles and enter a security code. The last four digits of my cell phone number, easy enough to guess. I suppose I should have been flattered, only my mind wasn't on that particular subject at the moment.

Backup...backup...I didn't have anyone phone number much less their addresses.

"_Excuse me but I am not Jonathan Crane. He's next door. I can set an appointment up if you want, I don't recommend it though._"  
>Of course.<p>

I waved flirtatiously to the cop on the way to the other building. This one was a bit smaller, but had more exits.

A distinct feeling of deja vu settled over the window I was now crawling through, perhaps not the smartest idea knowing the inhabitants, but effective. Still facing the window, I brushed off my shirt and sniffed at the cut had gotten because of the shorts.

"YOU!"

I gulped and turned around slowly. Crane was bent over his lab table, menacing as ever. What really made the image terrifying though, was the glare he was giving me. Oh yeah...I forgot it looked like I had led Edward to a trap. Oh you're just full of ideas today aren't you Bethy?

My hair prickled as he stalked towards me, thin fists clenched. I didn't want to hurt him that much, he was decent!

I held my hands up in a friendly gesture as if to stop him, just as Becky walked in rifling through some papers.  
>"Jon I wanted you to look at these test results a- Beth what are you doing here?" By the grin spreading across her freckled face I could tell she hadn't been listening to the news. Jonathan was in front of her in an instant. A sweet gesture maybe, but his stance kind of made him look like an arthritic cricket. A soft laugh huffed out before I could stop it.<p>

"Jonathan what-?"

"She betrayed Nigma." he snapped. "Whats to say she won't do the same to us?"

Becky gave me a disappointed pout.

"I thought you liked him."

"I do! Hear me out! I'm planning something for today but I'll need your help."

Crane's blue eyes were still slits, he didn't have to trust me. Just help me.

When I told them the plan Becky was instantly on board, I could see we were going to get along just fine. Jonathan was still a bit wary but he agreed with a little coaxing.

Becky looked at my tattered clothes with pity.

"Do you need anything along with help on this? It doesn't look like you're dressed for success."

"Um...I'm not one for clothes." I muttered, glancing down at my ensemble.

"Neither am I, notice who I live with, but that's not what I was talking about." She took my hand and lead me out into the main living space. It wasn't much, I could see the lab was their natural habitat. Costumes were laid out over the couch, in disarray. Matching Master and Mistress of Fear outfits. I fought back the need to daw, knowing I'd probably get a needle in the neck. A large chest was pushed up against the wall, and when opened, yielded many kinds of weapons. She rummaged around near the bottom and pulled out the strangest piece of underwear I had ever seen.

"You're bustier than me, but I think this'll do." All I could do was goggle. In her hand was what seemed to be a normal plain black bra at first look. Look closer, and you would see the gun holster strapped between the cups.

"U-um..."

"Go ahead take it, I have another." Ignoring the awkward silence between me and Jonathan, she closed the trunk after snatching up two gas masks from the top. "Take these too, you'll need them"

Jonathan lowered himself down on the threadbare couch, eying me closely. Probably seeing that I didn't activate any tracking devices.

"I'm surprised he hasn't gotten loose already." Becky babbled.

Jonathan's eyes fell to the floor. "He could if he wanted to. He can get in and out of handcuffs in a matter of seconds, showed it off whenever the bat took us in."

"A-are you saying he doesn't want to?"

Crane ground his teeth and shifted uncomfortably "I know Edward Nigma, and when there's no motivation in it for him, he doesn't do it."

"But...he would be free...doesn't he want that?" my gaze snapped back and forth from the two of them, waiting for an answer. There was only silence.

"Whats the use of being free if there's no one to share that freedom with?" Becky mumbled, glancing at the figure on the couch.

I couldn't have said anything to that if I tried.

She stopped me on the way out. "Would the regular mixture be enough?"

"Is there something that can make people so scared they bumble around like idiots? I think that would amuse him."

"Ooh" I saw a flicker of something other than the polite side I was seeing and closer to madness duck into her hazel eyes. "You want the good stuff."

After sneaking out the back door into Edward's lair, I packed a small case of my better clothes, and hid the bra in the fray. I snatched a small handgun while I was there, I didn't have anything like that at my disposal.

Cops wouldn't search anything without a warrant. If they tried, an arm would get broken. You don't fuck with me. I fuck with you. And that was the kind of mood I was in today.

Another fluttering of my eyelashes and I was off to the station to talk with my appointed lawyer. I could have driven myself at this point, I was just too lazy though.

It was the same scene as in the Commissioner's office last night, minus the weeping hysterically. Same questions, same answers, same charges. The trial was set for three o clock. Time...had _never _passed slower. After telephoning Jonathan, all that was left to do was sit and sweat it out.

I was zoning on cloud nine when Gordon came to my door.

"It's time."

I was dressed somewhat professionally. Green mid thigh skirt, purple cardigan over a white tee. The only thing that marred the look up was the extreme slit up my skirt, to allow better movement. At the court door, a guard was searching everybody that was coming through. Ah well, they wouldn't feel a girl up in front of a judge would they?

The man came about up to my waist when he cut off. I glanced over my shoulder. "You going for the gold there pal?"

His face flushed and he waved me though with out saying a single word. In the court room, everyone was milling about, not taking their seats yet. This was a public trial for some reason, and it seemed everyone had shown up, press included.

I recognized Vicky Vale and Jack Ryder clamoring about asking questions. Vale caught sight of me and twitched with excitement.

"Miss Zaney! Miss Zaney! Any comments no what happened and how this led up?"

"N-no comment" I muttered, shying away from the cameras put on live. The lawyer beat the rest back, allowing me free access to the front table. I looked over to the opposite side and saw him in handcuffs, staring at the ground. My fists tightened in desire. The desire to run over there and cradle him to say it was okay. But that would come in time. Patience.

The bailiff came out and everyone quieted down, settling into their seats.

"All rise, the honorable judge Ferris residing." Everybody did as they were told as a tall African American man in his fifties strode out confidently. He had a kind face, and I good mustache...I wouldn't shoot him. I'd probably go for that guard. Something about him annoyed me.

The charges were read, and my lawyer got up to say his opening statement. I didn't care, I just nodded when referred to and tried not to focus on the radiating hate from Eddie's direction. I did notice that the judge seemed to have a soft spot. Man he was the type of guy you wanted to go up to and randomly hug on the street. When everything was winding down, my heart sped up. It was time!  
>"Has the defendant anything to say before the jury passes judgment?" Edward's lawyer looked down and back up at his client.<p>

"No your honor"

The judge turned to me and asked gently. "And has the prosecutor anything to say?"

I stood up on shaky legs, my nervousness finally welling up inside me. The holster seemed two times bigger now, like everyone was staring at it. I heard a few gasps as I rose up in plain view.

"He might have kidnapped me, taken me hostage and used me may times while ignoring my rights...but I've probably left out the biggest crime of all." I blurted. My voice seemed so tiny.

Everybody leaned forward in their sets, including Eddie, who's eyes were focused on my like a tough crossword. My eyes were glued on his and I felt a rush of either courage or adrenaline as I fingered my shirt line. My heart seemed to pound harder and harder against the gun holster as the seconds ticked by.

"And that is?" Ferris prodded.

"I...I love him." I squeaked. Quick as lightning I pulled the gun from it's holster, aimed and shot the burliest guard in the shoulder to slow him down I wasn't ready to kill (if I ever was going to be).

There was a stunned silence for a nanosecond, then complete chaos. The guards lining the walls converged on us, but the panicking crowd was hindering them. My lawyer tried to grab me, his head ending up in the table I hurtled over in order to free Eddie, then of course he was already out of the hand cuffs. I twirled once I saw he was good to fight for himself. Two guards were impeding on me. A spark of joy flew through my body and the rush was on. Up and over I went between their shoulders, smacking their heads together from the back.

Screams were starting to emanate from the doorway and I reached into my pockets, grasping the compact gas masks. I slapped on the first and put one over his mouth and nose just as the gas was reaching the front row. Everyone was clamoring to get out of the room as their worst nightmares came to life around them. Jonathan's cackle was easily distinguishable amidst the chaos. Out of the cloud of gas were Crane and Becky turning this way and that as they approached us, leisurely examining each person's fright. This was on the edge of my brain, the rest was devoted to the bone crushing hug I was receiving. I buried into his neck with a sigh unheard from the mask and let a small bit of peace sink in. All was well again.


	29. Warmth

"Domestics later you two!" Becky grabbed my arm, still attached to Eddie and physically dragged us out of there. The fear toxin was extremly strong but fast acting. Jonathan reluctantly followed suit, glancing behind him to throw one last pellet into the crowd.

"There's enough fear toxin in them to silence a pachyderm!" Jonathan hissed, ripping his mask off when everyone was finally in the car.

"Well that's not stopping them.." Edward pointed out the back window to a bunch of officers loading into thier cars, still coughing and wheezing like they were twice thier age.

"Step on it!" Becky screeched, and like a whirlwind we were out of there.

"You know I was dead pissed at you right?" Edward smirked and me, his arm snaking around my shoulders.

"I was acting!" I blurted. "Don't ever make that face aga-!"

_RATATATATATAT_

"Get down!" Jonathan yelled, yanking Becky down in the front seat. Edward grabbed my forarms and forced me down to the floor almost lying down on top of my stomach as the barrage of bullets shattered the rear window.

"I don't suppose you have any special gadgets in here do you?" Edward called up cheerfully.

"Theres a handgun in the back." Jonathan called distractedly, having enough trouble driving while bending down. I undid the seats and crawled into the trunk, feeling around in the darkness. Eventually my hand brushed smooth metal and I tossed it up at Eddie.

I wriggled out of the trunk and glanced out warily. He was apparently aiming for the tires, but the gun only had six shots, we didn't stand a chance. Well, at least we would go down fighting.

I peeked over the top of the seat and saw a real fat on with a toothpick sticking out of his teeth reload and aim straight at Edward. When he was looking at the tires, he didn't see the shot!

"Eddie!" I bounced on top of him in a panic, the hell he was getting shot on my watch! I heard the gunshot, the crack and then the pain. Gasping in agony, I sagged onto the floor, blood seeping though my shirt. Oh yeah, that _really _smarted.

Everything was quiet for a moment, the only noises heard were engines running, then the chopper arrived and everything went to hell.

"Pull over!" Edward snapped. I tried to take a breath but felt so weak.

The bullet had broken a rib and punctured a lung in the process, I could tell due to the fact that whenever I tried to inhale it felt like a red hot poker was being shoved up my chest. I couldn't breathe right; everything seemed so hazy as my eyes started tearing up.

"JONATHAN, PULL OVER!" Edward yelled, gathering me up "its okay, you're going to a hospital." He murmured softly in my ear. All the commotion going on so close sounded frighteningly distant, like echoes amongst the agony searing through my body. I tried to respond but only a choked whimper came out, a spurt of blood seeping through my lips.

"Jon!" Becky snapped.

"We'll go to Elliot!" He hissed.

"Absolutely not!" Edward snapped. "You know how he feels about me! He'd probably kill her himself!"

"He doesn't have to kn-" Jonathan was cut off by a large _BLAM_ coming from under the car.

Eddie braced my head and shielded my limp body as the van wrapped itself a around a tree on the side of the road. My head spun as I struggled to draw in oxygen, but only getting blood and pain. I forced my hand down to the open wound in my side and lurched forward hopelessly as dark black spots invaded my eyesight. My eyes fluttered shut just as sirens were approaching the vehicle.

Beep…beep….beep…beep

Everything hurt.

Beep…beep…..beep…beep

I tried to turn my head in vain, my senses surfaced slowly with my conscience and I took a deep breath…breath…I couldn't breathe last time I remembered being awake.

"She's awake, go tell Leland." Nothing registered right. Where was Eddie? Jonathan? Becky?

Beep…..beep….beep….beep

Most of all I needed that noise to stop, my head hurt enough. My mouth felt like a large mass of cotton balls had been shoved in for a week straight. Sticking my tongue out, I tried to moisten my mouth, but in its dry state it only made a soft scratching noise.

I was so stupid. Getting shot on my first day on the criminal's side; it just figured. A small slender hand was laid on my forehead gently, then it disappeared and replaced by a straw at my lips. Why hadn't I opened my eyes yet?

'Because your face hurts genius!' Emma snapped in the back of my mind. No…it didn't really hurt. It was just stiff, the kind you feel after sleeping for more than twelve hours. I twitched my nose, sucking from the straw greedily. I never though plain old water could ever taste so good. Letting my eyes flutter open, I looked around the dimly lit hospital room. The doctor, Leland apparently, was a pretty petite woman with a pixie cut, her skin the color of a creamed mocha.

"Beth, how do you feel?" She said kindly.

"Like I've been hit by a truck" I croaked. Yup, I sounded like a bullfrog. "Wh-where's Eddie?"

"Mr. Nigma is safe in his cell. He and the other two got out with only a few cuts."

"But…what happened?" I hadn't the least idea of what made the car do a one eighty like that. "Did we crash into a brick wall?"

"A tire on your vehicle was shot and you rammed into a tree. We had to put you under for a few hours to remove the bullet." She sounded so calm for such a disquieting statement. Leland set the cup on the table beside me and sank into a chair, taking out a clipboard. Soft brown eyes roved around it, checking up on the information. "It broke two ribs and punctured the top of your left lung." Now that she mentioned it, I could feel the bandages.

I looked her up and down warily. "Where am I?"

"Arkham Asylum, now there's no need to worry. I just want to talk."

"I'm not crazy." I snapped, jerking my body up. I instantly regretted this as a sharp shooting pain gripped my upper torso, forcing my body back down with a yelp of pain.

"We're all a bit insane; we need to be in this world." She comforted smoothly. "Tell me, when did your mania with Edward Nigma begin?"

A snarl curled on my lips, words swelling on my tongue like bile. "Mania?" I growled. Leland seemed to sense (either from the evil eye I was giving her or my body language) that she had hit a nerve and backed up quickly.

"You don't need to answer; you'll have plenty of time the next few years." Like that was supposed to make me feel better!

"I don't need to answer because I don't have a mania!" I spat.

"Hush now, how else would you describe your little act yesterday then?" Well it looked like I had been out for more than twelve hours all right.

"I was trying to help the guy out!"

"Then you think his feelings are the same as yours?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

I leaned back and smirked. She didn't have to know all the details.

"Positive."

"Miss Zayne…when you worked here you saw his record yourself. An obsession for riddles, narcissism. I find it hard to believe that he could actually love…anyone but himself. Has he told you this in return?" My face flushed lightly at the insinuation.

"I think he would have…some time. We didn't really have a chance to talk- have you asked him about this?" She hesitated then shook her head, a wry expression on her face.

I settled back in my pillows and looked towards the door.

"I want to see him."

"I'm afraid that quite impossib-."

"Is he busy?" Once again she paused for a few moments before continuing on hesitantly.

"No-"

"Then why can't I see him?" She pursed her lips nervously. I had the same feeling she did; that somewhere this was against the rules. But neither of us really wanted to go to doctor Arkham. After giving me a once over she stood up and opened the door.

"I'll get him." And she strode out, twisting the lock behind her. After the sound of her heels dies away I closed my eyes and tried to relax. The beeping turned into white noise and I rubbed my stomach gently. I had gotten a funny feeling a few moments ago, like a pleasant warmth had been flourishing from the inside. Grimacing, I chalked it up to hunger and pushed it out of my mind. I had just started to drift back to sleep when the door opened again.

"-let them have a few moments-" was all I caught from the outside before Edward stepped in, glancing outside and then bolting to my bedside.

"Eddie!" I squeaked. I couldn't help it, he was squeezing my ribs! Loosening his grip, he muzzled into my hair causing the elf to start stirring again. I grimaced in little humor and chided myself on thinking of a little elf in my stomach at a time like this.

"God I was scared." He murmured into my hair. My heart throbbed a little at the tenderness in his voice I had never heard.

"Edward?" I really didn't have any experience comforting people at all, so I just stroked his hair since it was all I could reach due to the IV. Kissing his forehead, I felt the warmth feather up in my stomach again, right next to the elf.

"They didn't give me any news about you…you could have been dead for all I knew." He tilted his head back and I was taken aback to find tears brimming in his eyes. Of course he would want to hold them back, play the tough guy. That just wouldn't do.

"Come on, up here." I shifted my weight to make room on the bed next to me. It wasn't very small, but I didn't want too much space separating us as a small amount of tears leaked onto my neck.

Once he was securely huddled up into my side, I resumed letting my fingers run through his strands. It was unnerving to see a man like him behave like this, curled up and scared like he was an abused five year old again. Unnerving, but understandable given what he had gone though.

"I won't die without letting you know, okay?" I whispered softly. "I'll make sure you're right there."

"Not helping!" He hissed weakly into my collar.

"How about I don't die at all?"

"That's much better." He sobbed out. I couldn't tell if he was hysterical or crying at this point, all I know is that his body was spasming with something and I was determined to make it stop.

Now don't get me wrong. I had always been the type to help people in need, but not like this. I had never needed to console someone, not having a little sibling to take care of, and whenever I saw a kid crying I helped it to its parents but hurried off faster than they could say thank you. So motherly instincts, I had none of. It couldn't be too hard though.

Letting my arms slip around his waist and rock him back and forth gently, I hummed a lullaby quietly in his ear. Eventually I felt his body relax and lean into my shoulder.

Once I was sure he had calmed down a bit, I slanted his chin up and stroked his cheek, kissing him tenderly. It worked. He brought himself up a little and slipped an arm around my waist receiving me with open lips.

"Beth?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you too."

**_(I must apologize for the time it took for me to upload this, all our computers simultaneously crashed of course and I had to use my phone for internet access. It was quite a lot like hell :P Anyway, there's going to be one more chapter of this and I want to know what YOU want to see in the last chapter :) should Beth be pregnant, how far along in the future should it be, is it them and the other Rogues just messing around in the rec room? I'm giving you a freebie to make up for lost time, GIMMIE IDEAS! :D)_**


	30. Epilogue

~Three months later~

I breathed in the salty air with vigor, inhaling slowly and trying to savor the moment.

"You know," I said "I really like you're idea of hanging low."

"Well if you're going incognito, why not do it in style?"

Grinning, I cracked my eyes open against the bright Costa Rican sunlight. "I like your style."

Edward grinned mysteriously and raised an eyebrow behind purple wrap around sunglasses. "How much do you like my style?" Of course I liked it a bit too much to tell him. Otherwise the small hotel we were currently lying in front of would be too full of his head to fit me (or anyone else for that matter) back in.

"I…like it enough to marry you." I mumbled softly, a smirk twisting onto my mouth.

"Well then I guess it's a good thing you are." He punctuated the remark by slipping his fingers into mine and playing with the emerald engagement ring residing on my fourth finger.

I sighed happily and leaned back on the chaise chair in the small veranda we were occupying.

"Where did Jonathan and Becky go?"

I believe he dragged her to Transylvania to look over a few Vampire myths."

"Another Pina Colada Senora?"

"Thank you, Enrique!" I beamed brightly at him and took the tray offered to me. Hearing Eddie snickering softly, I waved the waiter off and shot him a look.

"When are you going to tell him you're engaged?"

"…I'll solve that riddle when I don't feel like any more free drinks." We sat in silence for a while, sipping the beverages and soaking up the sun. I was going to be, as the Little House on the Prairie books said, brown as an Indian (an Indian with beach blonde hair). Eddie however was ginger, therefore a good amount of freckles were already starting to appear across his nose and chest. That mixed with aquamarine waves crashing onto the pale sand was all I needed to look at.

"Enjoying the view?"

Damn those sunglasses!

"D-don't flatter yourself." I muttered, turning back to the waves.

"I don't have to, you flatter me plenty."

"Don't think I won't spill this Pina Colada all over you." I taunted.

He looked over his glasses and narrowed his eyes.

"These are brand new swim trunks, I would advise against that." An evil expression slid onto my face and I got up slowly, stalking towards him.

"Oh, that only encourages me, lover."

"Don't you-" He never got the sentence out. The tropical drink was splashed all over his chest before he could say anything else. "You little-!"

By the look in his eyes, I figured I had better start running. And that's exactly what I did, taking off towards the waves with him at my heels.

**_(X3 Writing this chapter made me happy. ANYWAY! The end of a surprisingly successful story! :D I'm quite pleased with the turnout. My next chapter fic will most likely be Jonathan/Becky Albright as I simply can't resist a good drama. Thank you to everyone who has helped me with this, for all the good suggestions and helpful criticisms. :)_**

**_If you like this pairing, there's some fan art of them you might be interested in listed below this little speech. Please comment if you have a DA account and enjoy_**

**_-Much loves, Shelly_**

.com/art/Alls-Fair-You-re-Not-Getting-This-Back-282974769?q=favby%3Ashellyluvstoread%2F47565521&qo=8

.com/art/Alls-Fair-in-Love-and-Riddles-282121945?q=favby%3Ashellyluvstoread%2F47565521&qo=7

.com/art/All-s-Fair-and-Love-of-Riddles-280175551?q=favby%3Ashellyluvstoread%2F47565521&qo=6

.com/art/Valentine-s-Day-288386497?q=favby%3Ashellyluvstoread%2F47565521&qo=3

.com/art/All-s-Fair-in-Love-and-Riddles-288385073?q=favby%3Ashellyluvstoread%2F47565521&qo=2

.com/art/Beth-gets-kidnapped-289693326?q=favby%3Ashellyluvstoread%2F47565521&qo=1

.com/art/ExB-Anything-You-Say-290388056?q=favby%3Ashellyluvstoread%2F47565521&qo=0

(these are all in my favorites on deviantart if the links dont work)


	31. SHE HAS A TUMBLR

_**UPDATE: **_

_**I'm sorry for getting your hopes up for an extra chapter, but this is here to tell you that Beth now has her own blog! On tumblr! Go check her out here:**___

_**or if the link doesn't work, itsthatbethgirl - look that up nd you'll hopefully find a blog called **__**I Kill the Man**_

:) thank you for the support everyone and I'm sorry for hibernating!


End file.
